GIFT  OF 


I  0  W 


HOW  THE  MIND 
WORKS 


BY 

CHRISTIAN  D.  LARSON 

Author  of 

The  Ideal  Made  Real,"    "  The  Great  Within,"   "What 

Is  Truth,"     "  On  the  Heights,"     "  The  Hidden 

Secret,"  "How  to  Stay  Young,"  "Your 

Forces  and  How  to  Use  Them," 

"Poise  and  Power,"  "The 

Pathway  of  Roses," 

Etc. 


1912 

THE  NEW  LITERATURE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 


Copyright  1912 

By 
CHRISTIAN  D.  LARSON 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     The  Greatest  Power  in  Man 7 

II.     The  Best  Use  of  the  Mind 14 

III.  What  Determines  Mental  Action 25 

IV.  The  Leading  Metaphysical  Law 37 

V.     How  the  Mind  Makes  the  Man 48 

VI.  How  Mental  Pictures  Become  Reali- 
ties      60 

VII.     The  Increase  of  Mental  Power 73 

VIII.  The  Within  and  the  Without. ......    83 

IX.     Finding  Your  Place  in  Life 95 

X.  When  All  Things  Work  for  Good  ...  104 

XL     With  What  Measure  Ye  Mete 116 

XII.  Finding  Material  for  Mind  Building.  125 

XIII.  Building  the  Superior  Mind 139 

XIV.  The  Secret  of  the  Master  Mind 147 

XV.     The  Power  of  Mind  Over  Body 156 

XVI.  The  Power  of  Mind  Over  Destiny  ...  162 

XVII.     The  X-Ray  Power  of  the  Mind 169 

XVIII.     When  Mind  is  Broad  and  Deep 180 

XIX.     The  Greatest  Mind  of  All 187 

XX.     When  Mind  is  On  the  Heights 196 

3 

261285 


FOREWORD. 

Everything  that  is  in  action  must  necessarily 
work  through  definite  laws.  And  as  the  mind  is  in 
constant  action,  alternating  its  actions  at  almost 
every  turn  of  thought  or  feeling,  it  is  evident  that 
a  vast  number  of  laws  are  employed  by  the  mental 
process.  To  know  how  the  mind  works,  therefore, 
we  must  know  something  about  these  laws. 

In  the  following  pages  the  most  important  of  the 
mental  and  metaphysical  laws  known  to  date  are 
considered  from  every  possible  viewpoint,  the  prin- 
cipal object  being  to  ascertain  their  real  nature  as 
well  as  their  power  and  use.  In  addition,  a  number 
of  psychological  ideas  are  presented  that  will  throw 
light  both  on  the  inner  and  the  outer  workings  of 
the  mind. 

No  effort,  however,  has  been  made  to  delve  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  mind;  this  will  be  done  in 
another  work,  the  object  here  being  to  present  the 
practical  side  of  mental  action,  and  present  it  in 
such  a  way  that  anyone  may  learn  to  use  the  powers 
of  the  mind  properly.  And  at  the  present  stage  of 
psychological  study,  this  is  the  most  important.  We 
want  to  know  how  the  mind  does  work  so  that  we 
may,  in  all  mental  work,  use  the  mind  in  the  best, 
the  fullest  and  the  most  effective  manner. 


6  HOW   TftE   MIND   WORKS 

The  fact  that  we  have,  in  the  past,  known  prac- 
tically nothing  about  the  real  workings  of  the  mind, 
and  also  that  there  are  only  a  few  minds,  even  in 
the  present,  that  have  gained  the  power  to  direct 
and  control  mental  action  according  to  system, 
design  and  law,  should  make  the  study  of  this  book 
both  interesting  and  profitable.  In  fact,  we  are 
convinced  that  all  who  understand  the  purpose  and 
the  message  of  this  book  will  become  highly  en- 
thused over  its  practical  value;  and  will  accordingly 
gain  more  from  its  perusal  than  tongue  can  ever 
tell. 

That  this  number  may  be  very  large  in  the  pres- 
ent, and  constantly  become  larger  in  the  future,  is 
our  dearest  wish  in  this  connection;  for  when  you 
know  that  a  certain  thing  is  so  very  true  and  so 
very  important,  you  want  everybody  else,  if  possi- 
ble, to  gain  all  that  you  have  gained  from  the  under- 
standing and  use  of  that  particular  thing. 

And  this  is  natural;  we  all  want  to  share  the 
truth  with  others;  we  all  want  everybody  to  gain 
that  power  through  which  the  richest  and  the  best 
that  life  has  in  store  may  be  realized ;  and  this  fact 
proves  that  there  is  far  more  of  the  noble  in  human 
nature  than  we  have  previously  believed.  How- 
ever, it  is  only  as  we  learn  to  use  the  mind  in  har- 
mony with  the  natural  and  orderly  workings  of 
mental  law,  that  everything  that  is  noble  in  human 
nature  will  find  expression. 


HOW  THE  MIND  WORKS. 
CHAPTER  I. 

THE  GREATEST  POWER  IN  MAN. 

It  is  now  a  demonstrated  fact  that  the  powers  and 
the  possibilities  that  are  inherent  in  the  mind  of 
man  are  practically  unbounded.  And  this  conclu- 
sion is  based  upon  the  discovery  that  no  limit  can 
be  found  to  anything  in  human  nature,  and  that 
everything  in  human  nature  contains  a  latent  capac- 
ity for  perpetual  development.  This  discovery,  and 
no  discovery  of  greater  importance  has  appeared  in 
any  age,  gives  man  a  new  conception  of  himself,  a 
conception  which  when  applied  will  necessarily  rev- 
olutionize the  entire  sphere  of  human  thought  and 
action. 

To  be  able  to  discern  the  real  significance  of  this 
new  conception  will  naturally  constitute  the  greatest 
power  in  man,  and  should  therefore  be  given  the 
first  thought  in  all  efforts  that  have  advancement, 
attainment  or  achievement  in  view.  The  purpose 
of  each  individual  should  be  not  simply  to  cultivate 
and  apply  those  possibilities  that  are  now  in  evi- 
dence, but  also  to  develop  power  to  discern  and 
fathom  what  really  exists  within  him.  This  power 

7 


8  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

is  the  greatest  power  because  it  prepares  the  way 
for  the  attainment  and  expression  of  all  other  pow- 
ers. It  is  the  power  that  unlocks  the  door  to  every- 
thing that  is  great  and  wonderful  in  man,  and  must 
therefore  be  understood  and  applied  before  any- 
thing of  real  value  can  be  accomplished  through 
human  thought  or  action. 

The  principal  reason  why  the  average  person 
remains  weak  and  incompetent  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  he  makes  no  effort  to  fathom  and  understand 
the  depths  of  his  real  being.  He  tries  to  use  what 
is  in  action  on  the  surface,  but  is  unconscious  of 
the  fact  that  enormous  powers  are  in  existence  in 
the  greater  depth  of  his  life.  These  powers  are 
dormant  simply  because  they  have  not  been  called 
into  action,  and  they  will  continue  to  lie  dormant 
until  man  develops  his  greatest  power;  that  is,  the 
power  to  discern  what  really  exists  within  him. 

The  fundamental  cause  of  failure  is  found  in  the 
belief  that  what  exists  on  the  surface  is  all  there 
is  of  man.  And  the  reason  why  greatness  is  the 
rare  exception  instead  of  the  universal  rule  can  be 
traced  to  the  same  cause.  When  the  mind  discovers 
that  its  powers  are  inexhaustible  and  that  its  facul- 
ties and  talents  can  be  developed  to  the  very  highest 
degree  imaginable,  and  to  any  degree  beyond  that, 
the  fear  of  failure  will  entirely  disappear.  In  its 
stead  will  come  the  conviction  that  man  may  attain 
anything  or  achieve  anything,  provided,  of  course, 


HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS  9 

he  works  within  the  natural  sphere  of  universal  law. 
Whatever  circumstances  may  be  today  such  a  mind 
will  know  that  all  can  be  changed;  that  this  condi- 
tion can  be  made  to  pass  away,  and  that  the  vacancy 
may  be  filled  with  the  heart's  most  cherished  desire. 

That  mind  that  can  discern  what  exists  in  the 
depths  of  the  real  life  of  man  does  not  simply  change 
its  views  as  to  what  man  may  attain  or  achieve,  but 
actually  begins  to  draw  upon  the  inexhaustible 
power  within,  and  begins  at  once  to  develop  and 
apply  the  greater  possibilities  that  this  deeper  dis- 
cernment has  revealed.  When  man  can  see,  feel 
and  understand  what  exists  beneath  the  surface  of 
his  life,  the  expression  of  this  deeper  life  begins, 
because  whatever  we  become  conscious  of  that  we 
invariably  bring  forth  into  tangible  expression. 
And  since  the  deeper  life  contains  innumerable  pos- 
sibilities as  well  as  unbounded  power,  it  is  evident 
that  when  the  deeper  life  is  clearly  discerned,  any- 
thing within  the  human  sphere  may  be  attained  or 
achieved. 

The  idea  that  there  is  more  and  more  of  man  than 
what  appears  on  the  surface  should  be  so  constantly 
and  so  deeply  impressed  upon  the  mind  that  it  be- 
comes a  positive  conviction,  and  no  thought  should 
be  placed  in  action  unless  it  is  based  upon  this  con- 
viction. To  live,  think  and  act  in  the  realization  of 
the  fact  that  there  is  "more  of  me"  should  be  the 
constant  purpose  of  every  individual.  When  this 


10  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

is  done  the  more  will  constantly  develop,  coming 
forth  in  greater  and  greater  measure,  giving  added 
power,  capacity  and  life  to  everything  that  is  in 
action  in  the  human  system. 

When  the  average  person  fails  he  either  blames 
circumstances  or  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
was  not  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  is  therefore 
tempted  to  give  up,  and  tries  to  be  content  with  the 
lesser.  But  if  he  knew  that  there  was  more  in  him 
than  what  he  had  applied  in  this  undertaking  he 
would  not  give  up.  He  would  know  that  by  devel- 
oping this  "more"  he  positively  would  succeed 
where  he  had  previously  failed.  It  is  therefore 
evident  that  when  man  gives  attention  to  his  great- 
est power,  that  is,  the  power  to  discern  the  more 
that  is  in  him,  he  will  never  give  up  until  he  does 
succeed ;  and  in  consequence  he  invariably  will  suc- 
ceed. 

That  individual  who  knows  his  power  does  not 
judge  according  to  appearances.  He  never  permits 
himself  to  believe  that  this  or  that  cannot  be  done. 
He  knows  that  those  things  can  be  done  because  he 
has  discovered  the  more  which  really  exists  within 
him.  He  works  in  the  conviction  that  he  must  and 
will  succeed  because  he  has  the  power.  And  this 
is  the  truth.  He  does  have  the  power.  We  all  have 
the  power. 

To  live,  think  and  work  in  the  attitude  that  there 
is  more  of  you  within  the  great  depths  of  your  being, 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  11 

and  to  know  that  there  is  more  of  you  within  the 
great  depths  of  your  being,  and  to  know  that  this 
"more"  is  so  immense  that  no  limit  to  its  power  can 
be  found,  will  cause  the  mind  to  come  in  closer  and 
closer  touch  with  this  greater  power.  And  you 
will  in  consequence  gain  more  and  more  of  this 
power.  The  mind  that  lives  in  this  attitude 
opens  the  door  of  consciousness,  so  to  speak,  to 
everything  in  human  life  that  has  real  quality  and 
worth.  It  places  itself  in  that  position  where  it  can 
respond  to  the  best  that  exists  within  itself.  And 
modern  psychology  has  discovered  that  this  "best" 
is  extraordinary  in  quality,  limitless  in  power,  and 
contains  possibilities  that  cannot  be  numbered. 

It  is  the  truth  that  man  is  a  marvelous  being,  and 
the  greatest  power  in  man  is  the  power  to  discern 
this  marvelousness  that  really  does  exist  within  him. 
It  is  the  law  that  we  steadily  develop  and  bring 
forth  whatever  we  think  of  the  most.  We  shall 
therefore  find  it  highly  profitable  to  think  constantly 
of  our  deeper  nature  and  to  try  in  every  manner  and 
form  imaginable  to  fathom  the  limitlessness  and  the 
inexhaustibleness  of  these  great  and  marvelous 
depths. 

In  practical  life  this  mode  of  thinking  will  have 
the  same  effect  upon  the  personal  mind  as  that  which 
is  secured  when  placing  an  ordinary  wire  in  contact 
with  a  wire  that  is  charged.  The  great  within  is  a 
live  wire.  When  the  mind  touches  the  great  within 


12  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

it  becomes  charged  with  the  same  immense  power. 
And  the  mind  is  more  or  less  in  touch  with  the  great 
within  when  it  lives,  thinks,  and  works  in  the  firm 
conviction  that  there  is  "more  of  me,"  so  much 
more  that  it  cannot  be  measured. 

We  can  receive  from  the  deeper  life  only  that 
which  we  recognize,  because  consciousness  is  the 
power  between  the  outer  life  and  the  great  within; 
and  we  open  the  door  only  to  those  things  of  which 
we  become  conscious.  The  principal  reason,  there- 
fore, why  the  average  person  does  not  possess 
greater  powers  and  talents  is  because  he  is  not  con- 
scious of  more.  And  he  is  not  conscious  of  more 
because  he  has  not  recognized  the  depths  of  his  real 
life,  and  has  not  tried  to  fathom  the  possibilities 
that  are  latent  within  him. 

The  average  person  lives  on  the  surface.  He 
thinks  that  the  surface  is  all  there  is  of  him,  and 
therefore  does  not  place  himself  in  touch  with  the 
live  wire  of  his  great  and  inexhaustible  nature 

within.    He  does  not  exercise  his  greatest  power 

the  power  to  discern  what  his  whole  nature  may 
contain,  and  therefore  does  not  unlock  the  door  to 
any  of  his  other  powers.  This  being  true,  we  can 
readily  understand  why  mortals  are  weak.  They 
are  weak  simply  because  they  have  chosen  weak- 
ness. But  when  they  choose  power  and  greatness 
they  shall  positively  become  what  they  have  chosen 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  13 

to  become.    And  we  all  can  choose  power  and  great- 
ness, because  it  is  in  us. 

We  all  admit  that  there  is  more  in  man  than  what 
is  expressed  in  the  average  person.  We  may  differ 
as  to  how  much  more,  but  the  more  should  be  devel- 
oped, expressed  and  applied.  It  is  unjust  both  to 
the  individual  and  to  the  race  to  remain  in  the 
lesser  when  it  is  possible  to  attain  the  higher,  the 
richer  and  the  greater.  It  is  right  that  we  all  should 
ascend  to  the  higher  and  the  greater  now.  And 
the  greatest  power  in  man  reveals  the  fact  that  we 
all  can. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  BEST  USE  OF  THE  MIND. 

We  have  at  the  present  time  a  number  of  meta- 
physical systems,  and  though  they  differ  consider- 
ably in  many  respects  they  all  produce  practically 
the  same  results.  We  find  that  no  one  system  is 
more  successful  than  the  others,  and  yet  they  are  all 
so  remarkably  successful  that  modern  metaphysics 
is  rapidly  becoming  one  of  the  most  popular  studies 
of  today.  The  real  secret  of  all  these  systems  is 
found  in  their  power  to  draw  consciousness  more 
deeply  into  the  realization  of  the  absolute. 

The  absolute  is  unconditioned ;  therefore  the  more 
deeply  consciousness  enters  the  absolute  the  less 
conscious  will  the  mind  become  of  conditions.  That 
is,  the  mind  will  be  emancipated  more  and  more 
from  conditions  as  it  grows  into  the  realization  of 
that  which  is  unconditioned,  or  rather  above  condi- 
tions. 

Any  method  that  will  tend  to  develop  in  the  mind 
the  consciousness  of  the  absolute  will  produce  eman- 
cipation from  physical  or  mental  ills,  the  reason 
being  that  there  are  no  ills  in  the  absolute,  and  it 
is  not  possible  for  the  mind  to  be  conscious  of  ills 
when  it  is  in  the  consciousness  of  that  which  is 

14 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  15 

absolutely  free  from  ills.  In  other  words,  the  mind 
cannot  be  in  darkness,  weakness  or  disease  when  it 
is  in  light,  power  and  health. 

Although  it  is  not  exact  science  to  state  that  all 
is  mind,  because  it  can  easily  be  proven  that  all  is 
not  mind;  nevertheless,  the  statement  that  all  is 
mind  has  a  tendency  to  resolve  consciousness  into 
the  allness  of  infinite  mind,  that  is,  the  mind  of  the 
absolute.  This  will  eliminate  from  the  personal 
mind  the  consciousness  of  personal  limitations  and 
thus  produce  the  realization  of  the  absolute,  that 
state  of  being  that  is  free  from  conditions.  It  will 
also  cause  the  personal  mind  to  function  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  its  unity  with  the  iifipersonal  mind 
which  again  is  the  infinite  mind. 

In  like  manner  it  is  not  scientific  to  deny  the  exist- 
ence of  matter,  because  matter  does  exist.  Never- 
theless the  persistent  denial  of  the  existence  of 
matter  has  a  tendency  to  eliminate  from  mind  the 
consciousness  of  shape  and  form,  also  the  limita- 
tions and  the  conditions  of  shape  and  form.  The 
result  will  be  a  certain  degree  of  emancipation  from 
conditions,  and  accordingly  the  ills  that  may  have 
existed  in  those  conditions  will  disappear. 

The  purpose  of  metaphysical  methods  is  to  pre- 
vent superficial  mental  action  by  deepening  thought 
into  the  understanding  of  real  action;  that  is,  to 
prevent  bondage  to  the  limitations  of  form  by  awak- 
ening the  consciousness  of  that  limitless  Hfe  that 


16  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

animates  all  form,  and  also  to  prevent  the  creation 
of  imperfect  conditions  by  producing  in  the  mind 
the  realization  of  absolutely  perfect  states.  Any 
method  that  will  tend  to  promote  these  objects  in 
view  will  prove  healthful  to  a  degree  in  producing 
personal  emancipation  from  sickness,  adversity  or 
want;  but  if  the  method  is  not  strictly  scientific  its 
value  will  be  very  limited,  and  will  prove  to  be  noth- 
ing more  than  a  temporary  aid  in  the  lesser  aspects 
of  life. 

In  this  connection  we  must  remember  that  no 
metaphysical  method  can  fully  promote  the  purpose 
in  view  unless  it  recognizes  the  reality  of  the  whole 
universe  and  aims  to  produce  advancement  in  every 
individual  expression  of  universal  life.  However, 
every  method  is  at  first  incomplete,  therefore  not 
strictly  scientific.  But  to  be  scientific  we  must  give 
everything  due  credit  for  what  it  is  doing,  no  matter 
how  limited  it  may  be  in  its  personal  power. 

To  awaken  the  consciousness  of  the  real,  the 
unconditioned  and  the  absolute,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  declare  that  all  is  mind,  nor  is  it  necessary  to 
deny  the  existence  of  matter.  On  the  contrary,  such 
methods  should  be  avoided,  because  they  will  prove 
detrimental  to  the  highest  development  of  the  indi- 
vidual if  employed  for  any  length  of  time.  And 
we  realize  that  our  purpose  is  not  simply  to  emanci- 
pate man  from  the  ordinary  ills  of  personal  life, 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  17 

but  also  to  develop  man  to  the  very  highest  heights 
of  real  greatness. 

There  is  a  world  of  absolute  reality  that  exists 
within  and  about  all  things.  It  permeates  all  things 
and  surrounds  all  things.  It  is  an  infinite  sea  in 
which  all  things  live  and  move  and  have  their  being. 
It  is  the  source  of  everything,  and  being  limitless 
can  give  limitless  life  and  power  to  anything.  All 
science  recognizes  this  world  of  absolute  reality, 
and  it  is  the  purpose  of  metaphysics,  that  is,  the 
best  use  of  the  mind,  to  gain  that  understanding 
that  will  enable  any  individual  to  place  himself  in 
perfect  conscious  touch  with  that  ^orld.  This  abso- 
lute reality  is  the  perfect  state  of  being  upon  which 
all  individual  being  is  based.  Therefore  the  more 
perfectly  conscious  the  individual  becomes  of  the 
absolute,  the  less  imperfection  there  will  be  in  the 
life  of  the  individual.  And  when  individual  con- 
sciousness is  completely  resolved  in  absolute  con- 
sciousness, the  cosmic  state  is  realized — a  state  with 
such  marvelous  beauty  and  such  indescribable  joy 
that  it  is  worth  a  thousand  ages  of  pain  to  come 
within  its  gates  for  just  one  single  moment. 

To  develop  the  consciousness  of  the  absolute  and 
to  grow  steadily  into  the  realization  of  the  reality 
of  perfect  being  the  fundamental  essential  is  to  live 
habitually  in  the  metaphysical  attitude.  This  is  a 
distinct  attitude,  by  far  the  most  desirable  attitude 
of  the  mind,  and  comes  as  a  natural  result  of  the 


18  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

mind's  discernment  of  the  existence,  the  reality  and 
the  absoluteness  of  the  universal  sea  of  uncondi- 
tioned life.  This  attitude  is  emancipating  because 
it  removes  the  imperfect  by  resolving  the  mind  into 
the  consciousness  of  the  perfect.  It  produces  the 
realization  of  the  real  and  thus  floods  human  life 
with  the  light  of  the  real,  that  light  that  invariably 
dispels  all  darkness,  whether  it  be  ignorance,  adver- 
sity, want,  weakness,  illusion  or  evil  in  any  form 
or  condition. 

The  secret  of  all  metaphysical  methods  of  cure 
is  found  in  the  peculiar  power  of  the  metaphysical 
attitude.  To  enter  this  attitude  is  to  resolve  mind 
in  the  consciousness  of  the  absolute,  and  since  there 
is  no  sickness  in  the  absolute  it  is  not  possible  for 
any  mind  to  feel  sickness  while  in  the  consciousness 
of  the  absolute.  For  this  reason  any  method  that 
will  cause  the  mind  to  enter  the  metaphysical  atti- 
tude will  give  that  mind  the  power  to  heal  physical 
or  mental  ailments.  However,  it  is  not  the  method 
that  heals.  It  is  that  peculiar  power  or  conscious- 
ness that  conies  when  the  mind  is  in  the  metaphys- 
ical attitude.  And  this  power  simply  implies  the 
elimination  of  imperfect  conditions  by  resolving 
consciousness  into  the  perfection  of  absolute  states. 

The  actions  of  the  mind  are  back  of  all  personal 
conditions,  therefore  when  the  mind  begins  to  act 
in  the  consciousness  of  absolute  states  it  will  express 
the  perfection,  the  health,  the  wholeness  and  the 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  19 

power  of  those  states.  And  when  the  qualities  of 
such  states  arc  expressed,  imperfect  conditions 
must  necessarily  disappear.  Light  and  darkness 
cannot  exist  in  the  same  place  at  the  same  time; 
neither  can  health  and  disease.  When  the  former 
comes  the  latter  is  no  more.  When  the  mind  is 
placed  in  the  metaphysical  attitude  the  conscious 
realization  of  the  more  powerful  forces  of  life  is 
gained.  This  means  possession  and  mastery  of 
those  forces,  at  least  in  a  measure,  and  the  result 
will  be  a  decided  increase  in  the  power,  the  capacity 
and  the  ability  of  every  active  faculty  of  the  mind. 
It  is  therefore  evident  that  every  person  who 
desires  to  become  much  and  achieve  much  should 
live  habitually  in  the  metaphysical  attitude,  for  it 
is  in  this  attitude  that  the  best  use  of  the  mind  is 
secured.  The  metaphysical  attitude  is  distinct  from 
the  psychical  attitude,  and  it  is  highly  important 
for  every  person  to  clearly  understand  this  distinc- 
tion. Both  attitudes  will  place  the  mind  in  touch 
with  the  more  powerful  forces  of  life,  but  the  meta- 
physical is  based  upon  the  conviction  that  all  power 
is  in  itself  good,  and  that  the  mind  naturally  controls 
all  power ;  but  the  psychical  attitude  has  no  definite 
conviction  or  purpose  regarding  the  real  nature  of 
power.  The  metaphysical  attitude  takes  hold  of 
those  finer  powers  and  applies  them  constructively, 
while  in  the  psychical  attitude  those  powers  are 
more  or  less  in  a  chaotic  state.  For  this  reason  the 


20  HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

psychical  attitude  is  nearly  always  detrimental, 
while  the  metaphysical  is  never  otherwise  than 
highly  beneficial. 

To  approach  the  universal  life  of  unbounded  wis- 
dom and  limitless  power  is  usually  termed  occultism. 
We  find  therefore  that  metaphysics  and  occultism 
have  the  same  general  purpose,  and  deal  largely 
with  the  same  elements  and  powers,  but  they  do  not 
make  the  same  use  of  those  elements  and  powers, 
nor  are  the  results  identical  in  any  sense  whatever. 
The  psychical  attitude  opens  the  mind  to  more  power 
but  takes  no  definite  steps  in  directing  that  power 
into  constructive  channels.  If  the  mind  is  whole- 
some and  constructive  while  in  the  psychical  atti- 
tude the  greater  powers  thus  gained  will  be  benefi- 
cial because  it  will  in  such  a  mind  be  directed  prop- 
erly. But  to  enter  the  psychical  while  there  are  ad- 
verse tendencies,  false  ideas  or  perverted  desires  in 
mind,  is  decidedly  detrimental  because  this  greater 
power  will  at  such  times  be  misdirected.  And  the 
greater  the  power  the  worse  will  be  the  consequence 
when  misdirection  takes  place. 

To  state  it  briefly,  no  mind  can  safely  enter  the 
psychical  attitude  unless  it  has  a  spotless  character, 
a  masterful  mind,  and  knows  the  truth  about  every- 
thing in  this  present  state  of  existence.  But  as  this 
requirement  is  practically  beyond  everybody,  we 
must  conclude  that  no  one  can  safely  enter  the  psy- 
chical state.  To  enter  the  psychical  attitude  is  to  fill 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  21 

the  personality  with  new  forces,  some  of  which  will 
be  very  strong,  and  if  the  mind  is  not  constructive 
through  and  through,  at  the  time,  some  or  all  of 
those  forces  will  become  destructive. 

However,  it  is  not  possible  to  make  the  mind  con- 
structive through  and  through  without  entering  the 
metaphysical  attitude ;  that  is,  the  mind  is  not  fit  to 
enter  the  psychical  attitude  until  it  has  entered  the 
metaphysical  attitude.  But  as  the  same  powers  are 
secured  in  the  metaphysical  attitude,  the  psychical 
attitude  becomes  superfluous.  Therefore,  to  give  a 
single  moment  of  thought  or  attention  to  occultism 
is  a  waste  of  time. 

When  a  mind  enters  the  metaphysical  attitude  it 
becomes  constructive  at  once,  because  the  metaphys- 
ical attitude  is  naturally  a  constructive  attitude,  be- 
ing based  upon  the  conviction  that  all  things  are  in 
themselves  good  and  working  together  for  greater 
good.  All  power  is  good  and  all  power  is  construc- 
tive. All  power  is  beneficial  when  applied  accord- 
ing to  its  true  purpose,  but  no  mind  can  apply  power 
according  to  its  true  purpose  until  it  becomes  thor- 
oughly constructive,  and  no  mind  can  become  thor- 
oughly constructive  until  it  enters  the  metaphysical 
attitude. 

In  this  attitude  all  thought  and  attention  is  given 
to  that  which  makes  for  better  things  and  greater 
things.  The  mind  is  placed  in  such  perfect  harmony 
with  the  absolute  that  it  naturally  follows  the  law  of 


22  HOW  THE   MIND   WORKS 

the  absolute,and  to  follow  this  law  is  to  be  all  that 
you  can  be.  It  is  therefore  the  very  soul  of  ad- 
vancement, attainment  and  achievement,  having 
nothing  but  construction  in  view. 

The  fact  that  the  practice  of  occultism  produces 
extraordinary  phenomena,  either  upon  the  physical 
plane  or  in  the  world  of  mental  imagery  gives  it  an 
atmosphere  of  the  marvelous,  and  therefore  it  be- 
comes extremely  fascinating  to  the  senses.  Meta- 
physics, however,  does  not  aim  to  appeal  directly  to 
the  senses  nor  does  it  produce  mere  phenomena.  On 
the  contrary,  metaphysics  appeals  directly  to  the  su- 
perior understanding,  and  its  purpose  is  to  develop 
worth,  greatness  and  superiority  in  man. 

Those  persons  who  live  habitually  in  the  meta- 
physical attitude  have  a  wholesome,  healthful  ap- 
pearance. They  are  bright,  happy,  contented,  and 
they  look  clean.  They  are  thoroughly  alive,  but  in 
their  expression  of  life  there  is  a  deep  calmness  that 
indicates  extraordinary  power  and  the  high  attain- 
ment of  real  harmony.  We  realize,  therefore,  why 
it  is  only  in  the  metaphysical  attitude  that  we  can 
secure  the  best  use  of  the  mind. 

The  metaphysical  attitude  is  rich  in  thoughts  and 
ideas  of  worth.  Such  ideas  are  always  constructive, 
and  when  applied  will  invariably  promote  practical 
and  tangible  advancement.  To  entertain  pure  meta- 
physical thought  is  to  grow  in  the  power  to  create 
higher  thought  and  also  to  grow  in  the  conscious 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  23 

realization  of  the  real,  thereby  eliminating  imperfect 
conditions  of  mind,  thought  or  personality  by  re- 
solving the  mind  in  the  consciousness  of  the  uncon- 
ditioned. 

Metaphysics  deals  fundamentally  with  the  under- 
standing of  the  principle  of  absolute  reality,  that  is, 
that  complete  something  that  underlies  all  things, 
permeates  all  things  and  surrounds  all  things.  It- 
deals  with  the  all  that  there  is  in  the  world  of  fact 
and  reality,  and  we  can  readily  understand  that  the 
mind  must  aim  to  deal  with  the  all  if  its  use  is  to  be 
the  best.  In  other  words  the  best  use  of  the  mind 
naturally  implies  that  use  of  the  mind  that  gives  the 
highest,  the  largest  and  the  most  comprehensive  ap- 
lication  of  everything  there  is  in  the  mind.  And 
this  the  metaphysical  attitude  invariably  tends  to 
do. 

The  understanding  of  the  principle  of  absolute 
reality,  that  is  the  soul,  so  to  speak,  of  all  that  is  real, 
also  reveals  the  great  truth  that  all  individual  ex- 
pressions of  life  have  their  source  in  the  perfect 
state  of  being,  and  that  the  growth  of  the  individual 
mind  in  the  consciousness  of  this  perfect  state  of  be- 
ing will  cause  that  same  perfection  of  being  to  be  ex- 
pressed more  and  more  in  the  personal  man.  The 
term  "perfection,"  however,  in  this  sense  implies 
that  state  of  being  that  is  all  that  it  can  be  now,  and 
that  is  so  much  that  nothing  in  the  present  state  of 
being  can  be  added. 


24  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

We  all  seek  perfection,  that  is,  that  state  where 
the  mind  realizes  in  itself  those  ideals  that  are  dis- 
cerned as  possibilities  within  itself;  and  this  form 
of  perfection  the  metaphysical  attitude  has  the 
power  to  produce  in  any  mind  at  any  time.  In  fact 
to  enter  the  metaphysical  attitude  is  to  give  higher 
and  higher  degrees  of  this  perfection  to  every 
power,  every  faculty,  every  function  and  every 
talent  in  human  life. 

There  are  various  methods  for  producing  the 
metaphysical  attitude,  but  the  better  way  is  to  give 
the  first  attention  to  the  development  of  a  meta- 
physical sense;  that  is,  to  train  the  mind  to  think 
more  and  more  of  that  state  of  consciousness 
wherein  the  perfection  of  the  real  is  the  one  pre- 
dominating factor.  When  this  sense  is  awakened 
each  mind  will  find  its  own  best  methods.  The  ma- 
jority, however,  have  this  sense  and  need  only  to 
place  it  in  action.  To  give  full  action  to  the  meta- 
physical sense  we  should  aim  to  discern  the  abso- 
lutely real  that  is  within  everything  of  which  the 
mind  can  be  conscious.  We  should  try  to  carry  out 
this  aim  in  connection  with  every  process  of 
thought,  especially  those  processes  that  involve  the 
exercise  of  the  imagination. 


CHAPTER  III. 

WHAT  DETERMINES    MENTAL   ACTION. 

Every  force  and  faculty  in  the  mind  has  a  ten- 
dency to  act  in  a  certain  way,  to  move  in  a  certain 
direction  and  to  produce  certain  results.  It  is  evi- 
dent, therefore,  that  when  we  control  the  tenden- 
cies of  the  mind  we  may  determine  the  actions  of 
the  mind  and  also  what  results  those  actions  will 
naturally  produce.  In  addition  we  may  determine 
whether  we  are  to  go  forward  or  backward,  to- 
wards inferiority  or  superiority.  To  control  men- 
tal tendencies  we  must  control  that  from  which 
tendencies  arise,  and  all  tendencies  are  born  of  de- 
sires. But  desires  can  be  made  to  order  or  elimi- 
nated, as  we  may  decide. 

We  are  all  familiar  with  the  fact  that  it  is  not  an 
easy  matter  to  stop  "when  we  get  a-going"  in  any 
particular  direction.  For  this  reason  we  should 
direct  our  movements  in  the  right  direction  before 
we  begin.  And  to  learn  in  what  direction  we  are 
moving  we  shall  only  have  to  examine  the  tendencies 
of  the  mind.  When  any  tendency  is  established  the 
mind  will  act  unconsciously  in  that  direction  and 
will  carry  out  the  desires  involved. 

25 


26  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

In  this  connection  it  is  highly  important  to  un- 
derstand that  the  creative  forces  in  the  mind  invar- 
iably obey  and  follow  tendencies,  and  always  go 
with  those  tendencies  that  have  the  greatest  inten- 
sities and  the  most  perfect  concentration.  When 
you  think  that  you  should  like  to  have  this  or  that 
you  establish  a  mental  tendency  to  create  a  desire 
for  that  particular  thing.  And  that  desire  may  be- 
come uncontrollable,  so  that,  although  the  tendency 
comes  from  a  desire  that  you  could  control,  it  may 
create  a  desire  that  you  cannot  control.  Every  ten- 
dency that  is  formed  in  the  mind  has  a  tendency  to 
multiply  and  reproduce  itself  because  an  impression 
is  energy  centralized,  and  creative  desire  always 
appears  with  such  centralizations.  When  the  ten- 
dency of  an  impression  to  produce  itself  is  permit- 
ted that  tiny  impression  may  become  a  powerful 
mental  state  and  may  become  so  strong  that  all 
other  states  in  mind  will  have  to  obey.  Under  such 
circumstances  the  man  himself  will  become  more 
and  more  like  that  particular  state  of  mind,  which 
fact  explains  a  great  many  mysteries  in  human 
character  that  have  heretofore  seemed  beyond 
comprehension. 

Some  people  are  exact  externalizations  of  a 
single  predominating  mental  state  while  others 
form  their  personalities  from  a  group  of  mental 
states.  But  since  every  mental  state  originated  in 
some  tiny  impression,  we  understand  what  may  be- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  27 

come  of  us  when  we  permit  every  impression  to  fol- 
low its  natural  tendency.  Every  large  object, 
physical  or  metaphysical,  has  a  tendency  to  draw 
all  smaller  objects  into  its  own  path,  and  also  to 
make  all  things  in  its  atmosphere  like  unto  itself. 
This,  however,  is  partly  prevented  by  counteracting 
tendencies,  though  the  law  is  an  important  one  and 
should  be  thoroughly  understood. 

In  the  metaphysical  world  the  understanding  of 
this  law  is  especially  important  in  the  building  of 
character  and  in  the  development  of  talents.  If  you 
have  good  character  it  means  that  the  strongest 
tendencies  of  mind  are  wholesome,  elevating  and 
righteous  in  their  nature,  while  if  your  character  is 
weak  there  is  not  one  elevating  tendency  that 
is  strong  enough  to  predominate  in  the  world  of 
conduct.  A  perverted  character  is  always  the  re- 
sult of  descending  tendencies  with  the  ascending 
tendencies  too  insignificant  to  exercise  and  in- 
fluence. 

The  fact  that  weak  characters  as  well  as  per- 
verted characters  sometimes  perform  noble  acts, 
and  that  the  finest  characters  sometimes  degrade 
themselves,  is  readily  explained  by  the  law  of  men- 
tal tendencies.  In  the  first  case  the  better  tenden- 
cies are  permitted  occasionally  to  act  without  inter- 
ference, while  in  the  second  case  we  find  degrading 
tendencies  arising  temporarily,  possibly  through 
the  influence  of  suggestion.  These  adverse  tenden- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

cies,  however,  could  not  have  exercised  any  power 
over  conduct  had  the  strong,  ascending  tendencies 
been  active.  But  the  strongest  tendencies  may  at 
times  be  inactive,  and  it  is  at  these  times  that  a  good 
man  may  fall,  and  the  other  kind  show  acts  of 
goodness. 

When  you  think  more  of  the  external  things  of 
life  than  that  which  is  within,  you  create  in  con- 
sciousness a  tendency  to  dwell  on  the  surface.  The 
result  is  you  become  superficial  in  proportion  and 
finally  become  much  inferior  to  what  you  were.  On 
the  other  hand,  when  you  think  much  of  those 
things  that  are  lofty  and  profound  you  create  in 
consciousness  a  tendency  to  penetrate  the  deeper 
things  in  life.  And  the  result  is  you  become  con- 
scious of  a  larger  world  of  thought,  thereby  in- 
creasing your  mental  capacity  as  well  as  placing 
yourself  in  a  position  where  you  may  make  valu- 
able discoveries  or  formulate  ideas  of  worth. 

When  you  place  questionable  pictures  before 
minds  that  are  not  established  in  purity,  you  create 
in  those  minds  a  tendency  to  immoral  desire,  and 
if  those  tendencies  are  continued  such  desires  may 
become  too  strong  to  be  controlled,  and  the  victims 
will  seek  gratification  even  at  the  risk  of  life.  This 
illustrates  how  powerful  a  mental  tendency  may  be- 
come and  how  easily  a  wrong  tendency  may  be  pro- 
duced when  we  do  not  exercise  full  control  over 
those  impressions  that  may  enter  the  mind. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  29 

That  man  who  thinks  a  great  deal  about  spotless 
virtue  and  keeps  the  idea  of  virtue  constantly  be- 
fore attention  will  soon  create  such  a  strong  ten- 
dency to  virtue  that  all  desires  and  feelings  will  ac- 
tually become  virtuous.  In  consequence  it  will  be 
simplicity  itself  for  such  a  person  to  be  virtuous,  for 
when  you  are  virtuous  you  do  not  have  to  try  to  be. 
You  do  not  have  to  resist  or  fight  desires  which  you 
do  not  want  because  all  your  desires  have  become 
tendencies  towards  clean  and  wholesome  living. 
Your  energies  do  not  create  grosser  feelings  any 
more,  but  have  been  trained  to  create  vitality,  en- 
ergy, force  and  power  instead. 

Here  we  should  remember  that  when  the  pre- 
dominating tendencies  of  mind  are  towards  virtue 
all  creative  energies  will  become  constructive,  and 
will  build  up  body  and  mind  instead  of  being  dissi- 
pated through  some  desire  that  is  not  even  normal. 

Another  illustration  of  mental  tendency  and  how 
mental  tendency  determines  mental  action  is  found 
in  the  man  who  is  ambitious.  Through  the  efforts 
of  that  ambition  he  is  daily  training  all  the  tenden- 
cies of  the  mind  to  act  upon  the  faculties  needed  to 
carry  out  his  plans,  and  he  is  in  consequence  building 
up  those  faculties  with  the  added  force  and  nourish- 
ment thus  accumulated.  This  proves  that  whenever 
you  resolve  to  accomplish  certain  things  you  will  cer- 
tainly succeed  in  proportion  to  your  ability.  But  by 
resolve  we  do  not  mean  mere  mental  spurts.  A  re- 


30  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

solve  to  be  genuine  must  be  constant,  and  must 
never  waver  in  the  strength  of  its  force  and  deter- 
mination. The  reason  why  such  a  resolve  must 
eventually  win  is  found  in  the  study  of  mental  ten- 
dencies; that  is,  in  the  realization  of  the  fact  that 
we  go  as  our  tendencies  go,  where  we  directed  them 
in  their  first  stages. 

When  we  think  a  great  deal  about  the  refined 
side  of  life  we  create  tendencies  that  will  cause  all 
the  forces  within  us  to  re-create  everything  in  our 
systems  according  to  a  more  refined  pattern.  There- 
fore, to  be  refined  will  ere  long  become  second  na- 
ture, provided  we  keep  constantly  before  our  minds 
the  highest  idea  of  refinement  that  we  can  mentally 
picture.  This  illustrates  how  the  control  of  mental 
tendency  may  absolutely  change  an  individual 
from  the  most  ordinary  state  of  grossness  to  the 
highest  state  of  refinement. 

A  striking  illustration  of  the  power  of  mental 
tendency  is  found  in  connection  with  the  belief  of 
the  average  mind  that  the  body  decays  and  grows 
old.  For  this  reason  we  find  in  practically  all  hu- 
man personalities  a  tendency  to  produce  decay  and 
age  in  the  body.  And  this  tendency  is  actually 
bringing  about  decay  and  old  age  where  there 
would  be  no  such  conditions  whatever  were  the 
tendency  absent.  Nature  renews  your  body  every 
few  months  and  there  is  no  natural  process  of  de- 
cay in  your  system.  If  your  system  decays,  you 


HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS  31 

yourself  have  created  the  process  of  decay,  either 
through  mental  or  physical  violation  of  natural 
laws,  and  by  permitting  those  violations  to  become 
permanent  tendencies. 

If  there  is  a  process  in  your  system  that  makes 
you  look  older  every  year,  that  process  is  a  false 
one.  It  is  not  placed  there  by  nature.  You  your- 
self have  produced  it  by  perpetuating  the  tendency 
to  get  older,  a  tendency  that  invariably  arises  from 
the  belief  that  we  must  get  older.  The  tendency 
to  become  weaker  in  body  and  mind  as  the  years  go 
by  is  also  a  creation  of  your  own.  It  is  not  natural 
to  become  weaker  with  the  passing  of  years.  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  natural  to  become  stronger  the 
longer  you  live,  and  it  is  just  as  easy  for  you  to 
create  a  tendency  to  become  stronger  the  longer  you 
live  as  it  is  to  create  the  reverse.  In  like  manner 
you  can  also  create  the  tendency  to  become  more 
attractive  in  personality,  more  powerful  in  mind, 
stronger  in  character  and  more  beautiful  in  soul  the 
longer  you  live. 

However,  we  must  eliminate  all  detrimental  ten- 
dencies of  the  mind,  and  to  do  so  we  must  find  their 
origin.  In  many  instances  we  are  born  with  these 
adverse  tendencies  although  many  of  them  are  ac- 
quired later  in  life.  Those  tendencies  with  which 
we  are  born  generally  become  stronger  and  strong- 
er through  our  own  tendency  to  follow  the  groove 
in  which  we  are  placed.  We  find,  therefore,  that  it 


32  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

is  always  a  mistake  to  live  in  a  groove  or  to  con- 
tinue year  after  year  to  do  a  certain  thing  in  the 
same  usual  way.  Our  object  should  be  to  break 
bounds  constantly  and  to  improve  upon  everything. 
Nothing  is  more  important  than  change,  provided 
every  change  is  a  constructive  change. 

Every  impression  that  we  form  in  the  mind  is  a 
seed  which  may  grow  a  tendency.  Therefore  we 
should  not  only  eliminate  all  such  impressions  as 
we  refuse  to  cultivate,  but  we  should  also  prevent 
inferior  and  perverse  impressions  from  entering  the 
mind  in  the  first  place.  To  do  this,  however,  we 
must  be  constantly  on  watch  so  that  nothing  can 
enter  the  mind  through  our  senses  which  we  do  not 
wish  to  possess  and  perpetuate. 

When  we  see  people  growing  old,  or  rather  be- 
coming old  through  the  operation  of  certain  false 
tendencies,  the  impression  of  an  aging  process  will 
stamp  itself  upon  our  minds  if  we  permit  it.  Such 
impressions  contain  the  tendency  to  produce  the 
same  aging  process  in  us  and  it  usually  receives  our 
permission  to  have  its  way.  Thus  we  cause  the 
aging  process  to  become  stronger  and  stronger  in 
us  the  more  we  see  it  in  others  until  we  soon  discov- 
er that  we  are  actually  creating  for  ourselves  older 
bodies  every  year.  The  new  bodies  that  nature 
gives  us  every  year  are  thus  made  to  look  older  than 
the  new  bodies  of  the  year  before,  which  is  a  direct 
violation  of  natural  law.  Then  we  also  sing  with 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  33 

much  feeling  about  the  death  and  decay  that  is 
everywhere  about  us,  and  entertain  thoughts  of  a 
similar  nature  by  the  wholesale.  But  all  these  indica- 
tions of  death  and  decay  in  our  environments  were 
not  produced  by  nature.  They  were  produced  by 
false  mental  tendencies  which  arose  through  false 
belief  about  life  and  human  nature. 

The  same  is  true  regarding  all  other  adverse  ten- 
dencies that  may  exist  in  us  or  in  those  with  whom 
we  associate.  When  we  see  the  action  of  those  ten- 
dencies in  others  we  receive  impressions  upon  our 
own  minds  that  have  it  in  them  to  produce  the  same 
tendencies  in  us,  which  will  later  bring  about  the 
same  adverse  consequences  in  us.  Therefore  we 
must  not  permit  our  minds  to  be  impressed  with 
anything  in  our  enviroment  that  is  contrary  to 
what  is  true  in  the  perfect  nature  of  man.  In  other 
words,  we  must  never  permit  any  mental  impres- 
sion that  comes  from  the  weak,  the  adverse  or  the 
•wrong  conditions  about  us,  but  we  should  permit 
all  things  that  are  good  and  constructive  to  impress 
our  minds  more  and  more  deeply  every  day. 

We  have  been  in  the  habit  of  thinking  that  va- 
rious things  were  natural  and  inevitable  because  we 
'see  them  everywhere  about  us,  but  when  we  dis- 
jcover  that  we  have  made  a  great  many  of  these 
ithings  ourselves  and  that  they  are  all  wrong,  and 
that  it  is  just  as  easy  to  make  them  different,  we 
conclude  that  it  is  time  to  begin  all  over  again.  But 


34  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

to  begin,  we  must  transform  all  the  tendencies  of 
the  mind  so  that  all  of  them  will  move  in  the  way 
we  wish  to  go. 

We  may  wish  to  enter  health,  but  if  there  are  ten- 
dencies to  disease  in  our  systems,  and  especially  in 
the  subconscious,  our  physical  bodies  will  evolve 
more  or  less  disease  every  year.  Therefore  this 
tendency  must  be  changed  to  one  of  health  before  we 
can  have  what  we  desire  in  this  respect.  In  other 
words,  every  action  in  the  human  system  must  be 
a  health  producing  action  and  such  will  be  the  case 
when  all  the  tendencies  of  the  system  have  perfect 
health  as  their  goal.  The  same  is  true  regarding  all 
other  desires,  tendencies  or  objects  we  may  have  in 
view. 

The  first  question,  therefore,  to  ask  is  this: 
Where  am  I  going?  or  rather,  Where  are  the  ten- 
dencies of  my  mind  going?  Are  those  tendencies 
moving  towards  sin,  sickness,  decay,  weakness  and 
failure,  or  are  they  moving  towards  the  reverse? 
We  must  look  at  ourselves  closely  and  learn  wheth- 
er those  tendencies  are  moving  where  we  wish  to 
go,  or  moving  towards  conditions  that  we  know  to 
be  wrong  or  detrimental.  And  when  we  find  where 
these  tendencies  are  moving  we  must  proceed  to 
change  them  if  they  are  wrong,  and  this  we  can  do 
by  producing  right  mental  tendencies  in  their 
stead. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  35 

When  we  look  at  the  tendencies  of  our  mind  we 
can  largely  determine  what  our  own  future  is  to  be, 
provided  we  do  not  change  those  tendencies  later 
on.  Then  when  we  know  that  our  present  physical 
conditions,  our  present  strength,  our  present  abil- 
ity, our  present  character,  our  present  attainments 
and  our  present  achievements  are  all  the  conse- 
quences of  the  way  our  mental  tendencies  have  been 
moving,  and  also  that  we  have  lived,  thought  and 
acted  according  to  those  tendencies — when  we 
know  these  things,  we  shall  have  found  knowledge 
of  priceless  value,  and  by  applying  that  knowledge 
we  can  make  our  own  future  as  we  wish  it  to  be. 

The  question  is,  whither  are  we  drifting,  not 
physically  but  mentally,  because  it  is  the  way  we 
drift  mentally  that  determines  both  the  actions  of 
the  mind  and  the  actions  of  the  body.  And  our 
mental  tendencies  answer  this  question.  As  they  go 
so  do  we  go.  What  we  are  creating,  what  we  are 
building,  what  we  are  developing — these  things  de- 
pend upon  how  the  tendencies  of  the  mind  are  di- 
rected. Therefore  the  proper  course  to  pursue  is  to 
determine  where  we  wish  to  go,  in  what  direction 
and  when.  Then  establish  in  mind  what  we  wish  to 
accomplish  and  how  soon. 

Know  what  you  want  and  what  you  want  to  be. 
Then  examine  all  the  tendencies  of  your  mind.  All 
those  which  are  not  going  the  way  you  want  to  go 
must  be  changed,  while  all  those  that  are  already  go- 


36  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

ing  your  way  should  be  given  more  and  more  power. 
Then  do  not  waver  in  your  purpose.  Never  look 
back,  let  nothing  disturb  your  plans,  and  keep  your 
highest  aspirations  too  sacred  to  be  mentioned. 
You  will  find  that  if  you  will  pursue  this  course  you 
will  go  where  you  wish  to  go,  you  will  achieve  what 
you  have  planned,  and  your  destiny  will  be  as  you 
desire. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  LEADING  METAPHYSICAL  LAW. 

Whatever  enters  the  consciousness  of  man  will 
express  itself  in  the  personality  of  man.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  important  of  all  the  laws  of  life, 
and  when  its  immense  scope  is  fully  comprehended 
thousands  of  perplexing  questions  will  be  answered. 
We  shall  then  know  why  we  are  as  we  are  and  why 
all  things  about  us  are  as  they  are ;  and  we  shall  also 
know  how  all  this  can  be  changed.  When  we  ex- 
amine the  principle  upon  which  this  law  is  based 
we  find  that  our  environments  are  the  results  of  our 
actions  and  our  actions  are  the  results  of  our 
thoughts.  Our  physical  and  mental  conditions  are 
the  results  of  our  states  of  mind  and  our  states  of 
mind  are  the  results  of  our  ideas.  Our  thoughts  are 
mental  creations  patterned  after  the  impressions 
that  exist  in  consciousness  and  our  ideas  are  the 
mental  conceptions  that  come  from  our  conscious 
understanding  of  life.  Thus  we  realize  that  every- 
thing existing  both  in  the  mental  field  and  in  the 
personality,  as  well  as  in  surrounding  conditions, 
have  their  origin  in  that  which  becomes  active  in 
human  consciousness. 

37 


38  HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

We  may  define  consciousness  by  stating  that  it  is 
an  attribute  of  the  Ego  through  which  the  individ- 
ual knows  what  is  and  what  is  taking  place.  Con- 
sciousness may  usually  be  divided  into  three  phases, 
the  objective,  the  subjective  and  the  absolute. 
Through  absolute  consciousness  the  Ego  discerns 
its  relationship  with  the  universal — that  phase  of 
consciousness  that  is  beyond  the  average  mind  and 
need  not  necessarily  be  considered  in  connection 
with  this  law.  Through  subjective  consciousness 
the  Ego  knows  what  is  taking  place  within  itself, 
that  is,  within  the  vast  field  of  individuality.  And 
through  objective  consciousness  the  Ego  knows 
what  is  taking  place  in  its  immediate  external 
world.  Objective  consciousness  employs  the  five 
external  senses,  while  subjective  consciousness  em- 
ploys all  those  finer  perceptions  which,  when 
grouped  together  are  sometimes  spoken  of  as  the 
sixth  sense. 

In  our  study  of  this  law  we  shall  deal  principally 
with  subjective  consciousness  because  it  is  this  con- 
sciousness that  rules  over  real  interior  action.  The 
subjective  plane  is  the  plane  of  change  and  growth 
so  that  there  can  be  no  change  in  any  part  of  life 
until  the  cause  of  the  desired  change  has  been  found 
or  produced  in  the  subjective.  What  enters  objec- 
tive consciousness  will  not  produce  any  effect  upon 
the  personality  unless  it  also  enters  subjective  con- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  39 

sciousness,  because  it  is  only  what  becomes  subjec- 
tive that  reproduces  itself  in  the  human  entity. 

In  our  present  state  of  existence  the  center  of 
conscious  action  is  largely  in  the  subconscious  mind, 
that  is,  the  interior  or  finer  mental  field,  and  in  con- 
sequence all  the  actions  of  consciousness  are  di- 
rectly connected  with  the  subjective.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  well  to  state  that  the  terms  subjective 
and  subconscious  mean  practically  the  same.  What- 
ever enters  consciousness  and  is  deeply  felt  will  im- 
press itself  upon  the  subjective  so  therefore  in  order 
to  control  the  results  of  this  law  we  must  avoid  giv- 
ing deep  feelings  to  such  impressions,  thoughts, 
ideas  or  desires  as  we  do  not  wish  to  have  repro- 
duced in  ourselves.  There  are  many  impressions 
and  experiences  that  enter  objective  consciousness 
to  a  degree,  but  never  become  subjective  since  they 
are  not  accompanied  with  depth  of  feeling.  We 
may  be  conscious  of  such  experiences  or  impres- 
sions, but  we  are  not  affected  by  them.  For  this 
reason  we  need  not  give  them  our  attention,  which 
is  well  because  the  majority  of  the  impressions  that 
enter  the  conscious  mind  pass  off,  so  to  speak,  with- 
out affecting  life  in  any  way. 

Whatever  actually  enters  consciousness  is  always 
felt  by  the  finer  sensibilities  of  mind,  and  whatever 
enters  into  the  finer  state  of  mind  is  taken  up  by  the 
creative  energies;  and  impressions  are  accordingly 
produced.  From  these  impressions  will  come  sim- 


40  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

ilar  expressions,  and  it  is  such  expressions  that  de- 
termine thought,  character,  conduct  and  life.  To 
state  this  law  in  a  slightly  different  manner  we  may 
state  that  whatever  enters  subjective  consciousness 
will  produce  an  impression  just  like  itself,  and  every 
subjective  impression  becomes  a  pattern  for 
thought  creation  while  it  lasts.  Therefore  when- 
ever an  impression  is  formed  in  the  mind,  thoughts 
will  be  created  just  like  that  impression.  And  so 
long  as  that  impression  remains  in  subjective  con- 
sciousness thought  will  continue  to  be  formed  after 
its  likeness.  Then  we  must  remember  that  every 
thought  created  in  the  mind  goes  out  into  the  per- 
sonality, producing  vital  and  chemical  effects  ac- 
cording to  its  nature. 

Thus  we  understand  the  process  of  the  law. 
First,  the  impression  is  formed  upon  subjective  con- 
sciousness. Second,  the  creative  energies  of  tiie 
mind  will  produce  thoughts  and  mental  states  just 
like  those  impressions,  and  all  such  thoughts  and 
mental  states  will  express  themselves  in  the  person- 
ality, producing  conditions  in  the  personality  simi- 
lar to  their  own  nature.  To  illustrate  this  process 
from  everyday  life  we  may  mention  several  exper- 
iences with  which  we  are  all  familiar. 

When  you  view  a  very  peaceful  scene  and  become 
wholly  absorbed  in  it  your  entire  being  will  become 
perfectly  serene  almost  at  once,  and  this  is  the  rea- 
gon :  The  scene  was  peaceful  and  produced  a  peace- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  41 

ful  impression  upon  your  mind.  This  impression 
entered  your  subjective  consciousness  because  you 
became  deeply  absorbed  in  the  scene.  If  you  had 
simply  viewed  the  scene  in  a  superficial  way  you 
would  have  felt  no  change  because  then  the  impres- 
sion would  not  have  entered  your  subjective  mind; 
but  you  responded  to  the  impressions  that  entered 
the  mind  through  the  organ  of  sight  and  thus  ad- 
mitted those  impressions  into  the  deeper  or  sub- 
jective state.  In  other  words,  the  scene  actually 
entered  into  your  consciousness,  the  serenity  of  it 
all  was  impressed  upon  the  subjective;  and  as  ex- 
plained in  the  process  above,  the  creative  energies 
of  your  mind  at  once  began  to  create  thoughts  and 
mental  states  containing  the  same  serene  and 
peaceful  life.  These  thoughts  entered  into  your  en- 
tire personality,  as  all  thoughts  do  after  being  cre- 
ated, thus  conveying  the  life  of  peace  to  every  atom 
in  your  being. 

When  you  view  an  exciting  scene  and  are  car- 
ried away  by  it  you  lose  your  poise  and  may  even 
become  uncontrollable.  The  reason  is  you  admit 
confusion  into  your  mind,  and  according  to  the  law, 
confusion  will  be  produced  in  yourself ;  that  is,  dis- 
cord has  entered  your  consciousness  and  has  be- 
come the  model  for  the  creative  processes  of  the 
mind.  The  mental  energies  will  enter  such  states 
and  create  thoughts  and  mental  states  that  are  just 
AS  confused  as  the  confusion  you  saw  in  the  with- 


42  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

out.  And  when  these  confused  states  go  out  into 
the  personality,  as  they  do  almost  at  once,  your  en- 
tire nervous  system  will  be  upset,  disturbed  and  in 
a  state  of  inharmony.  Thus  you  have  produced  the 
same  confusion  in  your  own  mind  and  body  that  you 
saw  in  your  environments.  However,  if  you  had 
prevented  the  confused  scenes  from  entering  your 
mind,  you  would  have  been  perfectly  calm  in  the 
midst  of  it  all;  but  by  permitting  the  excitement  to 
enter  your  consciousness  it  was  reproduced  in  your- 
self, and  the  discord  that  entered  your  conscious- 
ness from  the  without  was  thereby  expressed  in 
your  own  personality. 

There  may  be  indications  of  threatening  failure 
in  your  work  and  you  may  begin  to  fear  that  such 
failure  will  come,  but  so  long  as  you  do  not  feel  the 
inner  dread  of  failure  the  impression  of  failure  will 
not  enter  your  consciousness ;  and  accordingly  con- 
ditions of  failure  will  not  be  produced  in  your  own 
mind.  But  if  the  fear  continues  until  you  actually 
feel  fearful  deep  down  in  your  heart,  the  idea  of 
failure  has  entered  your  consciousness,  and  if  not 
prevented  will  be  deeply  impressed  in  the  subjective. 

When  failure  is  impressed  upon  your  subjective 
mind,  a  condition  of  mental  failure  will  permeate  all 
your  faculties,  and  in  consequence  they  will  fail  to 
do  their  best.  And  we  all  know  very  well  that  the 
very  moment  our  faculties  begin  to  go  back  on  us, 
doing  less  work  and  less  effective  work,  we  are  on 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  43 

the  down  grade  to  failure  and  loss.  Failure  means 
going  down  to  the  lesser,  and  if  you  have  admitted 
thoughts  of  failure  into  your  mind  you  have  given 
your  creative  energies  bad  models.  These  energies 
will  create  thoughts  and  mental  states  just  like 
those  models,  no  matter  what  those  models  may  be. 
If  those  models  are  based  upon  the  idea  of  failure 
all  the  thoughts  created  will  contain  the  failing  atti- 
tude, or  the  losing  ground  attitude.  When  such 
thoughts  express  themselves  in  the  system  they 
will  produce  weaking  conditions  and  disturbances 
everywhere  in  mind  and  personality.  Your  facul- 
ties will  not  be  able  to  do  their  best ;  they  will  begin 
to  fail  in  their  work  because  they  are  being  perme- 
ated with  a  losing  ground  tendency,  and  you  will 
make  many  mistakes  on  account  of  the  increasing 
confusion.  The  result  will  be  inevitable  failure  un- 
less you  are  able  to  check  this  tendency  or  retrace 
your  steps  upward  before  it  is  too  late.  We  have 
all  noticed  that  the  man  on  the  down  grade  makes 
more  mistakes  than  anyone  else,  and  also  that  his 
genius  or  his  talents  become  weaker  the  further 
down  he  goes.  The  above  explains  the  reason  why. 
We  are  all  familiar  with  the  folly  of  judging 
from  appearances  and  permitting  temporary  con- 
ditions to  impress  and  govern  our  thinking,  the 
reason  being  that  our  object  is  not  to  follow  the 
whims  of  circumstances  or  the  uncertainties  of  fate, 
but  to  carry  out  our  purpose  in  life  regardless  of 


44  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

what  happens.  On  the  other  hand  when  we  do  not 
judge  according  to  external  indications,  but  pro- 
ceed to  impress  the  subconscious  mind  with  the  de- 
termination to  succeed,  we  are  placing  in  conscious- 
ness an  idea  that  stands  for  growth,  advancement 
and  increase.  Immediately  the  creative  energies 
of  mind  will  proceed  to  create  thoughts  and  states 
that  have  advancing,  upbuilding  and  constructive 
tendencies.  Such  thoughts  will  give  push,  power, 
life  and  added  talent  to  your  faculties,  and  you  will 
very  soon  begin  to  do  better  work;  the  superior 
forces  will  build  up  your  mind,  make  your  mind 
more  brilliant,  and  add  constantly  to  your  capacity. 
Thus  you  will  become  a  success  within  yourself ; 
that  is,  your  own  forces  and  faculties  will  begin  to 
work  successfully  which  is  the  first  essential  to  the 
gaining  of  success  in  the  external  world.  You  will 
be  moving  forward  in  your  own  being  and  you  will 
be  gaining  in  worth  in  every  respect.  The  results 
will  be  better  work,  better  impressions  upon  the 
world,  and  fewer  mistakes.  And  when  the  world 
discovers  that  there  is  success  in  you  they  will  want 
your  service  with  recompense  according  to  your 
full  worth.  When  we  understand  this  process  of 
the  mind  we  realize  how  we  can  bring  upon  our- 
selves almost  anything  simply  through  permitting 
the  corresponding  impressions  to  enter  conscious- 
ness. Therefore  we  should  learn  to  prevent  all  such 
things  from  entering  consciousness  as  we  do  not 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  45 

wish  to  see  reproduced  in  ourselves  and  expressed 
through  our  personality.  Then  we  should  learn  to 
impress  permanently  in  consciousness  the  image 
and  likeness  of  all  those  things  that  we  do  wish  to 
develop  and  express. 

The  workings  of  this  law  are  very  well  illustrated 
in  conditions  of  heath  and  disease,  because  when  we 
are  constantly  thinking  about  disease  and  fearing 
disease  we  permit  the  idea  of  disease  to  impress  it- 
self upon  consciousness.  In  other  words,  we  be- 
come more  and  more  conscious  of  disease,  and  cause 
the  image  of  sickness  to  get  a  firm  foothold  in  the 
subjective.  The  result  is  that  the  creative  forces  of 
mind  will  create  thoughts,  mental  states  and  con- 
ditions just  like  the  image  of  disease,  and  that 
which  is  just  like  the  image  of  disease  actually  is  a 
disease.  Therefore  since  every  mental  state  con- 
veys conditions  similar  to  itself  to  every  part  of  the 
body,  such  thoughts  will  constantly  carry  diseased 
conditions  into  the  body,  tending  thereby  to  produce 
the  very  ailment  that  we  feared,  thought  of,  or  im- 
pressed upon  consciousness  in  the  first  place.  Na- 
ture may  resist  these  adverse  conditions  for  a  while 
if  the  body  is  full  of  vitality,  but  when  the  vital 
forces  run  low  these  sickly  mental  conditions  will 
have  full  sway,  and  the  result  will  be  a  siege  of  ill- 
ness which  may  be  prolonged,  and  even  result  in 
death,  which  happens  thousands  of  times  under  just 
such  conditions. 


46  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

The  law,  however,  works  both  ways.  We  can 
just  as  easily  impress  the  idea  of  perfect  health  upon 
subjective  consciousness  and  thus  give  the  creative 
forces  a  better  image  as  a  model  for  their  creative 
processes.  At  such  times  all  thoughts  and  mental 
states  will  be  wholesome  and  health  producing,  and 
will  constantly  carry  better  health,  more  harmony 
and  greater  strength  to  the  body.  This  is  how  the 
law  works,  and  as  anyone  can  understand  the  pro- 
cess, further  details  are  not  required.  Briefly 
stated,  the  law  is  this:  That  everything  entering 
subjective  consciousness  will  impress  itself  there 
and  become  a  pattern  for  the  creative  energies  of 
the  mind.  These  energies  will  proceed  to  create 
thoughts  and  conditions  just  like  the  impression 
formed,  which  will  carry  their  own  conditions  to 
every  part  of  the  human  system. 

In  this  way  conditions  are  produced  and  ex- 
pressed in  the  personality  just  like  the  original  idea, 
thought  or  impression  that  entered  subjective  con- 
sciousness. Everything  that  enters  the  mind 
through  the  various  senses  may  also  enter  subject- 
ive consciousness,  that  is,  if  deeply  felt,  and  thus 
produce  a  permanent  impression.  In  like  manner, 
all  our  own  concepts  of  things  will  become  impres- 
sions, that  is,  if  they  are  inner  convictions.  For 
this  reason  we  must  not  only  watch  all  those  things 
that  enter  the  mind  through  the  senses,  but  we  must 
also  govern  our  own  thinking  so  that  every  mental 


HOW   THE    MIND   WORKS  47 

conception  formed  will  be  one  of  quality,    worth, 
wholeness,  health,  growth  and  advancement. 

To  employ  this  law  properly  nothing  must  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  subjective  unless  we  wish  to 
have  it  reproduced  in  ourselves.  We  should  refuse 
therefore  to  take  into  consciousness  that  which  we 
do  not  wish  to  see  expressed  through  mind  or  body. 
We  should  train  consciousness  to  respond  only  to 
those  external  impressions  that  are  desirable;  and 
we  should v train  our  own  imaging  faculties  to  im- 
press deeply  and  permanently  in  consciousness 
every  good  thing  or  desirable  quality  that  we  wish 
to  see  reproduced  in  ourselves  and  expressed 
through  our  personality. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOW  THE  MIND  MAKES  THE   MAN. 

Man  gradually  grows  into  the  likeness  of  that 
which  he  thinks  of  the  most.  This  is  another  im- 
portant metaphysical  law,  and  is  so  closely  related 
to  the  law  presented  in  the  preceding  chapter  that 
the  analysis  given  for  one  will  naturally  explain  the 
process  of  the  other.  However,  this  second  law  is 
distinct  from  the  first  one  in  many  of  its  phases,  and 
it  is  so  full  of  possibility  that  the  understanding  of 
its  application  opens  up  a  vast  world  of  change  and 
attainment  along  a  number  of  lines. 

Man  is  the  reflection  of  all  his  thought;  that  is, 
his  body,  his. character,  his  mind,  his  spiritual  na- 
ture— all  are  fashioned  according  to  his  thought; 
even  the  elements  that  compose  the  flesh  of  his  body 
are  gross  or  fine  just  as  his  thought  happens  to 
be.  Whenever  we  think  a  great  deal  of  the  mate- 
rial, most  of  our  thoughts  will  become  material  in 
their  nature  and  will  carry  material  conditions  to 
every  part  of  the  system.  This  explains  why 
gross  thoughts  stamp  grossness  upon  every  fiber 
of  the  body,  while  refined  thought  refines  every 
fiber,  improving  the  quality  and  perfecting  the 
structure. 

48 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  49 

The  mind  that  thinks  a  great  deal  of  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  Supreme  will  think  a  great  deal  of 
divine  qualities  and  spiritual  attainments.  In  brief, 
nearly  all  the  thought  created  in  such  a  mind  will 
be  of  a  superior  nature  and  will  carry  superiority 
to  every  part  of  the  system.  When  we  think  more 
of  the  spiritual  than  we  do  of  other  things  the  entire 
system  will  constantly  pass  through  a  refining  and 
spiritualizing  process,  the  possibility  of  which  if 
carried  on  to  the  ultimate  would  be  nothing  less 
than  marvelous.  When  we  think  a  great  deal  of 
power,  ability  and  attainment  we  are  actually  creat- 
ing a  great  deal  of  ability  in  us.  We  are  increasing 
our  power  and  we  are  moving  forward  into  far 
greater  attainments. 

The  mind  that  thinks  constantly  of  perfect  health 
refusing  to  entertain  for  a  moment  the  thought  of 
disease  is  steadily  growing  into  a  state  of  health 
that  will  ere  long  be  absolutely  perfect.  Such  a  per- 
son may  be  suffering  from  a  score  of  maladies  now, 
but  all  of  them  must  pass  away  before  the  constant 
influx  of  health,  wholeness  and  life.  All  darkness 
must  finally  vanish  from  a  place  that  is  constantly 
being  filled  with  more  and  more  light.  In  like  man- 
ner any  condition  that  may  exist  in  the  person  of 
man  will  have  to  change  and  improve  if  the  person 
is  constantly  being  filled  with  a  superior  condition. 

We  become  like  the  thoughts  we  think  because 
the  creative  power  of  thought  is  the  only  creative 


50  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

power  that  we  have  within  us.  And  the  energies 
of  mind  are  constantly  creating;  and  what  they 
create  now  is  just  like  the  thoughts  we  think  now. 
Since  every  physical  condition,  every  mental  state, 
and  every  phase  of  character — since  all  these  things 
are  fashioned  after  our  predominating  thoughts, 
and  since  the  capacity  of  every  faculty  and  the  qual- 
ity of  every  talent  are  determined  by  the  thoughts 
we  think,  we  must  naturally  conclude  that  there  can 
be  no  greater  art  than  the  art  of  correct  thinking. 
In  fact,  to  think  is  to  occupy  a  position  involving 
far  greater  responsibility  than  that  of  a  thousand 
absolute  monarchs.  And  when  we  realize  this,  we 
will  not  permit  a  single  thought  to  take  shape  and 
form  in  our  minds  without  first  determining  upon 
the  value  of  that  thought. 

Why  we  grow  into  the  likeness  of  that  of  which 
we  think  the  most  has  been  fully  explained  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  and  it  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
every  impression  formed  in  the  mind  will  reproduce 
its  kind  and  express  its  creations  throughout  the 
entire  system.  And  though  these  impressions 
usually  come  from  without  in  the  first  place,  still 
they  do  not  become  real  impressions  until  we  accept 
them  into  our  consciousness,  or  in  thought,  or  in 
conviction.  That  is,  many  minds  will  think  only 
what  is  suggested  to  them  by  environment,  or  what 
they  are  told  to  think  by  those  in  authority;  still  it 
is  their  own  thought  that  shapes  their  lives. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  51 

Wherever  the  suggestion  may  come  from,  it  is  your 
thought  about  that  suggestion  that  produces  the 
effect. 

The  analysis  of  thought  presented  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter  explains  how  the  person  is  affected  by 
thought,  and  how  thought  is  always  created  in  the 
likeness  of  those  ideas,  states  or  impressions  that 
have  established  themselves  in  consciousness.  But 
to  carry  this  analysis  to  its  final  goal  we  must  dis- 
cover why  man  becomes  like  his  thought  and  also 
how  he  can  think  thought  of  a  superior  nature. 
And  this  we  discover  through  the  workings  of  the 
law  now  under  consideration.  In  the  first  place 
man  becomes  like  his  thought  because  there  is  no 
other  pattern  in  his  being  besides  his  own  thought. 
The  creative  forces  of  his  mind  and  personality 
always  create  according  to  the  image  and  likeness 
of  the  strongest  and  deepest  impressions  in  con- 
sciousness, and  all  such  impressions  are  produced 
by  the  process  of  thinking. 

When  we  use  the  term  "thought,"  however,  we 
may  refer  either  to  the  mental  model,  which  is  the 
result  of  mental  conception,  or  we  may  refer  to  that 
thought  which  is  the  result  of  mental  creation.  The 
mental  creation  is  patterned  after  the  mental  con- 
ception, and  the  mental  conception  is  the  result  of 
our  efforts  to  understand  what  we  are  thinking 
about.  Mental  conception  is  conscious  and  is  there- 
fore under  our  control,  while  mental  creation  is  sub- 


52  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

conscious  and  is  therefore  beyond  our  control;  but 
we  do  not  have  to  control  mental  creation.  Those 
creations  will  be  just  like  our  mental  conceptions; 
therefore  when  we  form  only  such  mental  concep- 
tions as  we  like  we  shall  have  only  such  mental 
creations  as  we  like.  In  consequence  when  we  see 
mentally  that  which  is  superior  and  can  form  a  true 
conception  of  what  we  see,  we  give  to  the  creative 
energies  a  model  that  is  higher  than  any  we  have 
given  them  before.  Accordingly  the  mental  crea- 
tions will  be  superior. 

And  here  we  should  remember  that  these  crea- 
tions are  not  wholly  abstract,  but  are  in  most  in- 
stances as  concrete  or  tangible  as  the  body  itself. 
The  creative  energies  of  the  human  system  act  both 
in  the  mind  and  in  the  body,  though  their  central 
field  of  action  is  always  in  the  subjective  or  inner 
side  of  things.  In  the  body  these  energies  con- 
stitute the  vital  forces  and  the  nerve  forces  of  the 
system,  while  in  the  mind  they  constitute  all  those 
energies  or  powers  employed  in  thought,  feeling  or 
mental  action  of  whatever  nature. 

When  we  examine  these  energies  we  find  that 
they  do  not  simply  create  conditions  after  the  like- 
ness of  the  predominating  thought,  but  that  they 
themselves  also  become  just  like  the  predominating 
thought,  which  fact  illustrates  the  power  exercised 
by  such  thoughts  as  hold  the  ruling  position  in  our 
•minds.  From  this  fact  we  conclude  that  these  forces 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  53 

will  give  vitality  to  the  body  that  corresponds  to  the 
states  of  the  mind.  So,  that  if  there  is  anything 
wrong  in  the  subjective  states  of  the  mind  these 
forces  will  convey  those  wrong  conditions  to  the 
body,  the  reason  being  that  these  forces  come  from 
the  subjective  and  cannot  be  different  from  the  rul- 
ing conditions  of  their  source. 

The  fibers  and  cells  of  the  body  are  built  up  by 
these  energies.  Therefore  the  quality  as  well  as 
the  structures  of  the  cells  must  correspond  with  the 
nature  of  the  creative  energies  at  the  time.  These 
energies  build  cells  just  like  the  patterns  before 
them,  and  the  patterns  are  formed  by  the  subjective 
conceptions.  When  that  part  of  the  subjective  mind 
that  governs  cell  structures  in  the  body  becomes 
imbued  with  a  more  perfect  idea  of  construction  the 
creative  energies  will  build  more  perfect  cells.  And 
when  that  part  of  the  subjective  mind  that  governs 
physical  shape  and  form  receives  a  better  concep- 
tion of  shape  and  form,  these  creative  energies  will 
naturally  build  a  body  that  is  more  perfect  as  to 
shape  and  form.  Every  function  in  the  body  is 
governed  by  a  certain  part  of  the  subjective  mind 
and  the  creative  energies  act  through  that  particu- 
lar function  according  to  the  present  state  of  the 
subjective  mind. 

Therefore  when  more  perfect  patterns  are  placed 
in  .those  parts  of  the  subjective  that  govern  the 
body,  the  creative  energies  will  build  a  more  perfect 


54  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

body.  And  when  we  know  that  these  creative  ener- 
gies are  building  us  a  new  body  every  year,  accord- 
ing to  the  predominating  pattern  of  the  subjective, 
we  can  see  how  easily  the  new  body  we  receive 
every  year  can  be  made  more  perfect  if  we  will 
improve  the  subjective  pattern.  The  creative  ener- 
gies construct  brain  cells  in  the  same  way,  the 
quality  being  governed  by  the  state  of  mind.  And 
that  part  of  the  brain  that  is  to  receive  the  largest 
group  of  cells  is  determined  by  the  tendencies  of 
the  mind. 

In  the  world  of  talents  and  faculties  the  creative 
energies  construct  concepts  so  that  every  talent  is 
actually  composed  of  all  the  conceptions  that  the 
mind  has  formed  while  trying  to  understand  the 
nature  and  possibility  of  that  talent.  In  the  forma- 
tion of  character  the  creative  energies  do  their  work 
in  constructing  desires,  motives,  purposes  and  the 
like.  And  in  every  instance  they  form  these  char- 
acteristics according  to  the  predominating  thought 
on  the  subject.  In  the  construction  of  the  spiritual 
attitudes  and  higher  attainments  the  process  is  very 
similar  though  in  these  instances  the  pattern  is 
gained  through  faith  instead  of  subjective  menta- 
tion. 

Why  man  grows  into  the  likeness  of  that  which 
he  thinks  of  the  most  becomes  perfectly  clear  when 
we  understand  how  the  creative  energies  work; 
that  is,  that  they  always  create  after  the  likeness  of 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  55 

the  subjective  pattern.  And  when  we  learn  that 
the  subjective  pattern  can  be  changed  in  any  part 
of  mind  by  thinking  a  great  deal  of  a  higher  concep- 
tion of  that  particular  phase,  we  have  the  whole 
secret.  When  we  think  a  great  deal  along  any  line 
with  a  higher  conception  before  us  we  finally  estab- 
lish that  higher  conception  in  the  place  of  the  old 
one.  When  we  hold  an  idea  in  mind  a  long  time 
that  idea  will  become  a  predominating  idea;  it  will 
become  larger  and  stronger  than  the  other  ideas 
and  will  consequently  be  selected  as  a  model  by  the 
creative  energies. 

The  next  question  before  us  is  how  to  think  only 
of  those  things  that  we  desire  to  grow  into  the 
likeness  of.  And  this  question  is  answered  through 
the  following  metaphysical  law:  Man  thinks  the 
most  both  consciously  and  unconsciously  of  that 
which  he  loves  the  best.  The  simplest  way  to 
govern  thought  is  to  do  so  through  love.  When  we 
love  the  lofty  and  the  noble  we  naturally  think  a 
great  deal  of  those  qualities  without  trying  to  do  so, 
and  in  consequence  we  become  more  noble  in 
thought,  character  and  motives.  If  we  wish  to  de- 
velop the  greater  and  the  higher  within  us  we  must 
love  everything  that  contains  greatness,  and  our 
love  must  be  with  the  whole  heart:  that  is,  every 
fiber  of  our  being  must  actually  thrill  with  a  passion 
for  that  higher  something  which  we  desire  to 
develop. 


56  HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

Here  we  must  remember  that  all  intellectual  or 
metaphysical  methods  for  the  development  of  tal- 
ents or  character,  or  anything  of  a  superior  nature 
within  us,  will  fail  unless  we  passionately  love 
superior  attainments.  The  man  who  loves  honesty, 
justice  and  virtue  will  become  honest,  just  and  vir- 
tuous; though  if  he  does  not  naturally  love  those 
things  no  amount  of  moral  training  can  change  his 
character.  Millions  of  people  are  praying  to  be- 
come better,  more  noble  and  more  spiritual,  but  too 
many  fail  to  receive  answers  to  such  prayers.  And 
the  reason  why  is  found  in  the  fact  that  they  do  not 
love  as  deeply  as  they  should  those  superior  attain- 
ments for  which  they  are  praying.  They  may  de- 
sire those  things  in  a  superficial  way,  but  that  is  not 
sufficient.  Real  love  alone  will  avail  because  such 
love  goes  to  the  very  depth  of  life  and  touches  the 
very  essence  of  being  itself. 

When  we,  as  a  race,  will  begin  to  love  the  supe- 
rior and  the  divine  with  the  same  depth  that  we 
love  gold  or  material  pleasures,  we  shall  become  a 
superior  race.  When  we  love  divine  qualities  with 
the  whole  heart  we  shall  think  a  great  deal  of  such 
qualities  and  the  more  we  will  try  to  understand 
the  inner  nature  of  those  qualities.  The  higher 
this  understanding  becomes  the  higher  will  our 
conception  of  the  divine  and  the  spiritual  become. 
And  the  higher  those  conceptions  are  the  higher 
will  be  our  thoughts.  And  since  the  outer  man  is 


HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS  57 

fashioned  after  the  ruling  thoughts  of  his  mind, 
we  shall  in  this  way  steadily  rise  in  the  scale  of  life 
until  we  become  in  mind  and  personality  like  those 
higher  thoughts  we  have  learned  to  think.  In  other 
words,  we  shall  manifest  in  the  without  more  and 
more  of  the  divinity  that  is  within.  And  that  such 
a  process  would  in  time  transform  humanity  into 
a  superior  race  anyone  can  readily  understand. 

Love,  however,  is  not  mere  sentiment,  nor  is  it 
ordinary  emotionalism.  Love  also  has  quality. 
There  is  ordinary  love  and  there  are  the 
higher  forms  of  quality.  Therefore,  the  love 
with  which  we  love  must  be  developed  into 
greater  worth  if  we  are  to  penetrate  the  realms 
of  worth  through  our  love.  The  reason  why 
we  naturally  think  the  most  about  what  we 
like  the  best  is  found  in  the  fact  that  there 
can  be  no  division  in  love.  When  you  actually  love 
something  that  something  will  receive  your  un- 
divided attention.  And  as  all  your  thought  goes 
where  your  attention  is  directed  you  will  in  this 
manner  give  all  your  thought  both  consciously  and 
unconsciously  to  that  which  you  love.  This  we 
all  know  from  our  own  personal  experience,  and 
we  shall  find  that  everybody  has  had  the  same  ex- 
perience, thus  proving  universally  the  absoluteness 
of  this  law. 

We  have  all  seen  people  become  beautiful  in 
countenance  and  character  after  they  had  begun  to 


58  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

love  some  high  and  noble  purpose.  And  we  can 
find  thousands  who  have  become  more  and  more 
common  because  they  have  continued  to  love  the 
ordinary.  By  living  the  ordinary  they  naturally 
became  like  the  ordinary — thus  their  mental  actions 
became  inferior,  and  both  mind  and  personality  be- 
came inferior  in  proportion.  The  elements  of  the 
body  may  be  in  a  low  state  of  action  and  express 
grossness,  or  they  may  be  in  a  high  state  of  action 
and  express  refinement;  and  the  state  of  the  mind 
determines  what  those  actions  are  to  be,  whether 
they  are  to  be  crude  or  refined.  The  low,  common 
mind  invariably  gives  sluggish  or  crude  actions  to 
the  system,  and  in  such  a  person  the  physical  form 
looks  very  much  like  ordinary  clay.  But  a  lofty 
mind,  a  mind  that  is  living  in  the  ideal  and  the  beau- 
tiful, and  in  the  realization  of  the  marvelous  possi- 
bilities of  mind,  gives  highly  refined  actions  to  the 
body;  and  such  a  body  will  naturally  be  superior  in 
fineness,  quality  and  substance.  It  is  therefore  true 
that  there  are  people  who  are  made  of  a  finer  clay; 
not  because  they  have  come  from  so-called  noble ' 
ancestors,  but  because  their  thoughts  have  become 
beautiful,  lofty  and  high. 

The  attitude  of  love  towards  all  that  is  superior 
should  be  cultivated  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm, 
and  the  love  itself  should  also  be  made  superior 
as  we  advance  in  the  realization  of  true  worth.  It 
is  in  this  way  that  we  shall  find  the  true  path  and 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  59 

the  simple  path  to  high  thinking,  noble  thinking 
and  right  thinking.  And  man  grows  into  the  like- 
ness, steadily  and  surely,  of  that  which  he  thinks  of 
the  most. 

Since  we  think  the  most  of  what  we  love  the  best 
we  should  love  passionately  all  that  is  beautiful  and 
sublime;  we  should  love  all  that  is  lofty  and  ideal; 
we  should  love  the  true  side,  the  superior  side  and 
the  genuine  side  in  all  persons  and  in  all  things. 
But  we  should  never  think  of  the  inferior  at  any 
time.  We  should  love  the  perfect,  the  divine  and 
the  spiritual  in  every  soul  in  existence,  and  give 
the  whole  heart  to  the  love  of  the  sublime  qualities 
of  the  Supreme.  Thus  we  shall  find  that  body,  mind 
and  soul  will  respond  to  the  perfect  thought  that  we 
thus  form  while  living  on  the  mental  heights. 
Gradually  we  shall  find  all  the  elements  of  our  na- 
ture changing  for  the  better,  becoming  more  and 
more  like  those  sublime  states  of  mind  of  which 
we  are  so  vividly  conscious  while  on  the  heights. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOW   MENTAL   PICTURES   BECOME  REALITIES. 

Every  thought  is  patterned  after  the  mental 
image  that  predominates  at  the  time  the  thought 
is  created.  This  is  another  great  metaphysical  law 
and  its  importance  is  found  in  the  fact  that  thoughts 
are  things,  that  every  thought  produces  an  effect 
on  mind  and  body,  and  that  the  effect  is  always 
similar  to  the  cause.  According  to  these  facts  we 
can  therefore  produce  any  effect  desired  upon  mind 
or  body  by  producing  the  necessary  thought  or  men- 
tal state,  so  that  when  we  have  learned  to  control 
our  thinking  we  can  control  practically  everything 
else  in  life,  because  in  the  last  analysis  it  is  thinking 
that  constitutes  the  one  great  cause  in  the  life  of 
the  individual. 

To  control  thinking,  however,  we  must  under- 
stand the  process  of  thought  creation.  To  think 
is  to  create  thought,  and  to  control  thinking  is  to 
create  any  thought  we  like  at  any  time  and  under 
any  circumstance.  When  we  analyze  the  process  of 
thinking  we  find  three  factors  involved ;  that  is,  the 
pattern,  the  mental  substance  and  the  creative  en- 
ergy. The  pattern  is  always  the  deepest  impression, 
the  clearest  image,  or  the  predominating  idea. 

60 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  61 

The  quality  of  the  mental  substance  improves  with 
the  quality  of  the  mind;  and  the  quantity  increases 
with  the  expansion  of  consciousness,  while  the  cre- 
ative energies  grow  stronger  the  less  energy  we  lose 
and  the  more  we  awaken  the  greater  powers  from 
within. 

When  an  idea  or  image  is  impressed  upon  the 
mind  the  mental  energies  will  proceed  to  create 
thought  just  like  that  image ;  and  will  continue  while 
that  image  occupies  a  permanent  position  in  con- 
sciousness. When  the  mind  is  very  active  a  great 
deal  of  thought  is  created  every  second,  though  the 
amount  varies  with  the  activity  of  the  mind.  It  is 
therefore  more  detrimental  for  an  active  mind  to 
think  wrong  thought  than  for  a  mind  that  is  dull 
or  stupid;  proving  the  fact  that  responsibility  al- 
ways increases  as  we  rise  in  the  scale.  It  is  the 
function  of  the  creative  energies  of  the  mind  to 
create  thought  that  is  just  like  every  image  im- 
pressed upon  mind  and  to  continue  to  create 
thought  in  the  likeness  of  that  image  while  it  lasts. 
The  creative  energies  do  this  of  their  own  accord 
and  we  cannot  stop  them.  But  we  can  make  them 
weak  or  strong,  or  give  them  better  patterns. 

Mind  is  an  art  gallery  of  many  pictures,  but  only 
the  most  prominent  are  selected  for  models  in 
thought  creation.  Only  those  pictures  that  are  suf- 
ficiently distinct  to  be  seen  by  consciousness  without 
special  effort  are  brought  before  the  creative  ener- 


62  HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS 

gies  as  patterns.  We  thus  find  that  the  art  of 
controlling  one's  thinking  and  the  power  to  deter- 
mine what  kind  of  thought  is  to  be  created  is  ac- 
quired largely  through  the  training  of  the  mind 
to  impress  deeply  only  such  mental  pictures  as  are 
desired  as  models  for  thinking.  The  law,  how- 
ever, is  very  simple  because  as  the  picture  in  the 
mind  happens  to  be  at  this  moment  so  will  also  be 
the  thoughts  created  at  this  moment,  and  the  mental 
pictures  are  in  each  case  the  ideas  and  impressions 
that  we  permit  in  mind. 

Whatever  enters  the  mind  through  the  senses 
can  impress  the  mind,  and  the  result  will  be  a  pic- 
ture or  mental  image  which  will  become  a  pattern 
for  the  creative  energies.  What  takes  shape  and 
form  in  your  mind  through  your  own  interior 
thinking  will  also  impress  the  mind  and  become  an 
image  or  pattern.  It  is  therefore  possible  through 
this  law  to  determine  what  kind  of  thoughts  you 
are  to  create  by  impressing  your  mind  with  your 
own  ideas  regardless  of  what  environment  may 
suggest  to  you  through  your  senses.  And  it  is  by 
exercising  this  power  that  you  place  the  destiny  of 
body,  mind  and  soul  absolutely  in  your  own  hands. 

As  we  proceed  with  this  process  we  find  another 
vital  law  which  may  be  stated  as  follows :  What 
we  constantly  picture  upon  the  mind  we  shall 
eventually  realize  in  actual  life.  This  law  may  be 
spoken  of  as  a  twin  sister  to  the  one  stated  above 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  63 

as  they  are  found  to  work  together  in  almost  every 
process  of  thought  creation  and  thought  expression. 
The  one  declares  that  all  thought  is  patterned  after 
the  predominating  mental  pictures  while  the  other 
declares  that  the  entire  external  life  of  man  is  being 
daily  recreated  in  the  likeness  of  those  mental  pic- 
tures. The  fact  is,  as  the  mental  tendencies  are,  so 
is  thought;  as  thought  is,  so  is  character;  and  it  is 
the  combined  action  of  character,  ability  and  pur- 
pose that  determines  what  we  are  to  attain  or  ac- 
complish, or  what  is  to  happen  to  us. 

Through  the  law  of  attraction  we  naturallly  meet 
in  the  external  world  what  corresponds  to  our  own 
internal  world,  that  is,  to  what  we  are  in  ourselves. 
The  self  constitutes  the  magnet,  and  like  attracts 
like.  This  self  which  constitutes  the  magnet  is 
composed  of  all  the  active  forces,  desires,  tenden- 
cies, motives,  states  and  thoughts  that  are  at  work 
in  mind  or  personality.  When  we  look  at  every- 
thing that  is  alive  throughout  our  whole  being  and 
put  all  those  things  together  we  have  what  may  be 
termed  our  present  active  self.  And  this  self  in- 
variably attracts  in  the  external  world  such  con- 
ditions as  correspond  to  its  own  nature.  This  self 
and  all  its  parts  in  the  person  corresponds  to  the 
thoughts  that  we  have  been  creating  in  mind.  In 
fact  the  nature  of  the  self  is  actually  composed  of 
thought,  mental  states  and  mental  activities.  We 
realize,  therefore,  that  when  we  change  our 


64  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

thought,  the  nature  of  the  self  will  change,  and  this 
change  will  be  good  or  otherwise  depending  upon 
the  change  of  thought. 

Your  external  life  is  the  exact  counterpart  of 
this  active  self.  This  self  is  the  exact  likeness  of 
your  thought,  and  your  thoughts  are  patterned  after 
the  pictures  that  are  impressed  upon  your  mind. 
Therefore  we  understand  that  whatever  is  pictured 
in  the  mind  will  be  realized  in  external  life.  And 
the  reason  why  is  not  only  simply  explained  but 
can  be  proven  along  strictly  scientific  lines.  How- 
ever, to  determine  through  the  law  of  mind  pictur- 
ing what  our  external  life  is  to  be,  every  process  of 
mind  picturing  which  we  desire  to  carry  out  must 
be  continued  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  give 
the  creative  processes  the  opportunity  to  make  over 
the  whole  self. 

When  a  certain  picture  is  formed  in  the  mind 
thought  will  be  created  in  the  likeness  of  that  pic- 
ture. This  thought  goes  out  and  permeates  the 
entire  self  and  changes  the  self  to  a  degree.  But 
as  a  rule  it  takes  some  time  to  change  the  entire 
self ;  therefore  we  must  continue  to  hold  the  desired 
picture  in  mind  until  the  whole  self  has  been  en- 
tirely made  over  and  has  become  just  like  the  ideal 
picture.  And  you  can  easily  discern  when  the  self 
has  been  wholly  changed  because  as  soon  as  the  self 
is  changed  everything  in  your  life  changes.  Then 
a  new  sjrff  will  attract  new  people,  new  conditions, 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  65 

new  environments,  new  opportunities  and  new 
states  of  being.  It  is  evident  therefore  that  so  long 
as  there  is  no  change  in  the  outer  life  we  may  know 
that  the  self  has  not  been  changed.  However,  the 
changing  process  may  be  going  on,  but  the  new  has 
not  as  yet  become  stronger  than  the  old,  and  for  the 
time  being  things  continue  as  they  were. 

When  the  self  has  been  changed  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  the  new  becomes  positive  and  the  old 
negative  we  will  begin  to  attract  new  things.  We 
may  therefore  begin  to  attract  new  and  better 
things  for  some  time  before  the  entire  self  has  been 
completely  changed.  When  we  are  changing  only 
a  part  of  the  self  that  part  will  begin  to  attract  the 
new  while  those  parts  of  the  self  that  have  not  been 
changed  will  continue  to  attract  the  old  as  usual. 
This  explains  why  some  people  continue  to  attract 
trouble  and  adversity  for  a  while  after  they  have 
begun  to  live  a  larger  and  a  better  life. 

In  promoting  the  art  of  mind  picturing  we  must 
not  change  ideas  or  plans  at  too  frequent  intervals 
for  such  changes  will  neutralize  what  has  been 
gained  thus  far  and  here  is  the  place  where  a  great 
many  people  fail.  The  average  person  who  wishes 
to  change  his  life  for  the  better  does  not  hold  on  to 
his  ideals  long  enough;  that  is,  he  does  not  give 
them  a  fair  chance  to  work  themselves  out  and 
bring  the  expected  results.  When  he  does  not  re- 
ceive results  as  soon  as  he  expects  he  changes  his 


66  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

plans  and  produces  new  pictures  upon  the  mind. 
Thus  he  begins  all  over  again,  losing  what  he  had 
built  up  through  previous  plans;  but  ere  long  be- 
comes discouraged  once  more,  so  tries  still  other 
ideas  or  methods.  When  our  ideals  are  the  highest 
we  know  we  do  not  have  to  change  them.  They 
cannot  be  improved  upon  until  we  have  so  entirely 
recreated  ourselves  that  we  can  live  in  a  superior 
state  of  consciousness.  It  is  therefore  highly  im- 
portant to  determine  positively  upon  the  ideals  that 
we  wish  to  realize,  and  to  hold  on  to  those  ideals 
until  they  are  realized  regardless  of  what  may  hap- 
pen in  the  meantime. 

However,  we  must  not  infer  that  we  can  realize 
in  the  external  the  correspondence  of  every  picture 
that  we  hold  in  mind,  because  the  majority  of  the 
mental  pictures  that  we  form  are  so  constituted 
that  they  can  be  worked  out  in  practical  action. 
We  must  therefore  distinguish  between  such  ideals 
as  can  be  made  practical  now  and  those  that  are 
simply  temporary  dreams,  having  no  connection 
with  real  life  here  and  now. 

To  be  realized  a  mental  picture  must  be  constant, 
but  only  such  pictures  can  be  constant  as  are  suffi- 
ciently elaborate  to  involve  a  complete  transforma- 
tion in  yourself,  and  that  are  so  high  that  they  can 
act  as  an  inspiration  until  all  your  present  ideals 
are  realized.  When  we  form  such  pictures  in  the 
mind  and  continue  to  hold  on  to  them  until  they  are 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  67 

externally  realized  we  shall  certainly  obtain  the 
desired  realization.  At  such  times  we  can  proceed 
with  the  perfect  faith  that  what  we  have  pictured 
will  become  true  in  actual  life  in  days  to  come,  and 
those  days  will  not  be  far  away.  But  to  use  this 
law  the  mind  must  never  waver;  it  must  hitch  its 
wagon  to  a  star  and  never  cut  the  traces. 

In  scientific  mind  picturing  it  is  not  necessary  to 
go  into  minor  details,  though  we  must  not  be  too 
general.  The  idea  is  to  picture  all  the  essentials, 
that  is,  all  those  parts  that  are  distinct  or  individ- 
ualized. But  we  need  not  include  such  things  as 
are  naturally  attracted  by  the  essentials.  In  other 
words,  apply  the  law,  and  that  which  will  naturally 
come  through  the  application  of  that  law,  will  be 
realized. 

If  you  wish  to  realize  a  more  perfect  body  it  is 
not  necessary  to  picture  the  exact  physical  appear- 
ance of  that  body.  You  may  not  know  at  present 
what  a  perfect  body  should  look  like.  Therefore 
picture  only  the  quality  of  perfection  in  every  part 
of  the  physical  form  and  those  qualities  will  develop 
and  express  themselves  more  and  more  throughout 
your  personality.  And  if  you  wish  to  enter  a  dif- 
ferent environment  do  not  give  your  thought  to 
some  special  locality,  nor  to  persons  and  things  that 
would  necessarily  be  included  in  such  an  environ- 
ment. Persons  come  and  go  and  things  are  gen- 
erally the  way  we  wish  them  to  be. 


68  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

To  proceed  realize  what  constitutes  an  ideal  en- 
vironment and  hold  that  picture  in  your  mind.  In 
analyzing  an  ideal  environment  we  would  find  it  to 
contain  harmony,  beauty,  love,  peace,  joy,  desirable 
opportunities,  advantages,  ideal  friends,  wholesome 
conditions  and  an  abundance  of  the  best  of  every- 
thing that  the  welfare  of  human  life  may  require. 
Therefore  we  should  picture  those  things  and  con- 
tinue to  hold  them  in  mind  with  the  faith  that  we 
will  soon  find  an  environment  containing  all  those 
things  in  the  highest  degree  of  perfection.  Grad- 
ually we  shall  find  more  and  more  of  them  coming 
into  our  life  until  we  shall  find  an  environment  that 
comes  up  in  every  respect  to  our  ideal. 

The  law  of  mind  picturing  will  also  be  found  ef- 
fective in  changing  physical  conditions.  Any 
physical  malady  must  eventually  disappear  if  we 
continue  to  hold  in  mind  a  perfect  picture  of  health 
and  wholeness.  Many  have  eliminated  chronic  ail- 
ments in  a  few  weeks  and  even  in  a  few  days  by 
this  method,  and  all  would  succeed  if  they  never 
pictured  disease  but  perfect  health  only.  In  the 
field  of  achievement  we  will  find  the  same  facts  to 
hold  good.  Whenever  we  fear  that  we  shall  not 
succeed  we  bring  forth  the  wrong  picture — thus 
the  wrong  thoughts  are  created  and  wrong  condi- 
tions are  produced;  in  consequence  the  very  thing 
we  feared  comes  upon  us.  When  we  are  positively 
determined  to  succeed,  however,  we  picture  the  idea 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  69 

of  success  and  attainment  upon  the  mind,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  law,  success  will  be  realized  in  ex- 
ternal life. 

Mental  and  spiritual  attainments  respond  re- 
markably to  mind  picturing,  principally  because  all 
true  mind  picturing  draws  consciousness  up  into 
the  world  of  superiority.  The  same  is  true  in  the 
field  of  talent.  If  there  is  any  talent  that  you  wish 
to  develop  draw  mental  pictures  of  yourself  in  full 
possession  of  that  talent  and  you  will  comply  with 
the  requirements  of  the  steady  growth  of  that  tal- 
ent. This  method  alone  will  accomplish  much,  but 
when  it  is  associated  with  our  processes  of  develop- 
ment the  results  desired  will  surely  be  remarkable. 

In  the  building  of  character,  mind  picturing  is  of 
exceptional  importance.  If  you  continue  to  asso- 
ciate only  with  impure  minds  and  continue  to  think 
only  of  deeds  of  darkness  you  will  picture  only  the 
wrong  upon  your  mind.  Thus  your  thoughts  will 
become  wrong  and  wrong  thoughts  lead  to  wrong 
actions.  The  contrary,  however,  is  also  true.  So 
therefore  if  we  wish  to  perfect  our  conduct  we  must 
impress  upon  the  mind  only  such  ideas  as  will  in- 
spire us  with  desires  and  aims  for  greater  and 
higher  things. 

We  all  admit  that  character  can  be  influenced 
most  decidedly  by  mind  pictures,  but  everybody  may 
not  be  ready  to  accept  the  idea  that  ability,  attain- 
ment, achievement,  environment  and  destiny  can  be 


70  HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

affected  in  the  same  way.  However,  it  is  only  a 
full  analysis  of  the  law  of  mind  picturing  that  is 
necessary  to  prove  this  also  to  be  an  exact  scientific 
fact.  It  is  the  way  we  think  that  determines  the 
quality  of  the  mind,  and  it  is  the  quality  of  the  mind 
that  determines  what  our  ability,  mental  capacity 
and  mental  force  is  to  be.  And  we  can  readily 
understand  that  the  improvement  of  ability  will 
naturally  be  followed  by  increase  in  attainment  and 
achievement  as  well  as  a  greater  control  over  fate 
and  destiny. 

Man  is  constantly  increasing  his  ability,  is 
making  his  own  future  and  is  making  that  future 
brighter  and  greater  every  day.  Therefore,  if  mind 
pictures  can  affect  mental  quality,  mental  power 
and  mental  ability  they  can  also  affect  environment 
and  achievement,  and  in  brief,  the  entire  external 
life  of  man.  In  looking  for  evidence  for  the  fact 
that  mental  pictures  can  affect  ability,  simply  com- 
pare results  from  efforts  that  are  inspired  by  high 
ideals  and  efforts  that  are  inspired  by  low  ideals, 
and  you  have  all  the  evidence  you  need. 

When  your  mind  is  filled  with  pictures  of  superi- 
ority you  will  think  superior  thoughts — thoughts 
that  have  more  quality,  power  and  worth,  and  such 
thoughts  cannot  fail  to  give  power,  quality  and 
worth  to  your  talents  and  faculties.  We  also  find 
that  tendencies,  desires  and  motives  originate  large- 
ly from  mental  pictures,  and  we  also  know  that 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  71 

these  factors  exercise  an  enormous  power  in  life. 
The  active  self  of  man  is  so  dominated  by  desires 
and  tendencies  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to 
change  the  self  until  tendencies  and  desires  are 
changed.  But  tendencies  and  desires  as  well  as 
motives  cannot  be  changed  without  changing  the 
mental  pictures — a  fact  of  extreme  importance. 

Through  scientific  mind  picturing  you  can  create 
or  eliminate  any  kind  of  desire ;  you  can  produce  or 
remove  any  tendency  that  you  like.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  to  impress  upon  the  mind  the  perfect 
picture  of  a  desire  or  tendency  that  you  wish  and 
then  continue  to  hold  that  picture  in  the  mind  until 
you  have  results.  A  mental  picture,  howrever,  is 
not  necessarily  something  that  you  can  see  in  the 
same  way  as  you  see  external,  tangible  things.  It 
is  an  impression  or  idea  or  concept  and  is  seen  only 
by  the  understanding.  In  order  to  hold  a  mental 
picture  constantly  in  mind  keep  all  the  essentials 
of  that  picture  before  your  attention ;  that  is,  try  to 
be  conscious  of  the  real  nature  of  those  powers  and 
possibilities  that  are  represented  by  the  picture.  In 
other  words,  enter  into  the  very  nature  of  those 
qualities  which  that  picture  represents. 

The  mind  is  very  large.  It  is  therefore  possible 
to  form  mental  pictures  of  as  many  ideals  as  we 
like,  but  at  first  it  is  best  to  choose  only  a  few.  Be- 
gin by  picturing  a  perfect  body,  an  able  mind  a 
strong  character  and  a  beautiful  soul ;  after  that 


72  HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

an  ideal  interior  life  and  an  ideal  external  environ- 
ment. Thus  you  have  the  foundation  of  a  great  life, 
a  rich  life  and  a  wonderful  life.  Keep  these  pic- 
tures constantly  before  your  mind — in  fact,  train 
yourself  to  actually  live  for  those  pictures.  And 
you  will  find  all  things  in  your  life  changing  daily 
to  become  more  and  more  like  those  pictures.  In 
the  course  of  time  you  will  realize  in  actual  life  the 
exact  likeness  of  those  pictures;  that  is,  what  you 
have  constantly  pictured  upon  your  mind  you  will 
realize  in  actual  life.  Then  you  can  form  new  and 
more  beautiful  pictures  to  be  realized  in  like  manner 
as  you  build  for  a  still  greater  future. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   INCREASE  OF   MENTAL   POWER. 

All  mental  actions  that  consciously  move  towards 
the  within  tend  to  increase  the  capacity,  the  power 
and  the  quality  of  mind.  The  majority  of  mental 
actions  in  the  average  mind,  however,  move  to- 
wards the  surface,  and  this  is  one  reason  why  ad- 
vancing years  bring  mental  inferiority  as  the  con- 
verse of  this  law  is  also  true.  That  is,  that  all 
mental  actions  that  move  towards  the  surface  will 
decrease  the  power  of  mind. 

According  to  the  law  of  growth  the  more  we  use 
a  faculty  the  larger  and  stronger  and  more  perfect 
it  should  become,  provided  it  is  used  properly. 
Therefore  continuous  use  in  itself  should  invariably 
bring  increase.  However,  the  use  of  anything 
may  follow  the  lines  of  destruction  as  well  as  con- 
struction. For  this  reason  we  must  train  all  mental 
actions  along  constructive  lines.  And  we  find  all 
constructive  action  tends  to  deepen  mental  action; 
in  other  words,  tends  to  move  towards  the  within. 

The  value  of  the  increase  of  mental  power  is 
clearly  evident  along  all  lines.  Everything  must 
increase  in  the  life  of  him  who  is  perpetually  in- 
creasing his  own  personal  power.  We  know  that  a 

73 


74  HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

large  mind  creates  more  extensively  than  a  small 
one.  The  creations  of  a  highly  developed  mind  are 
more  worthy  than  the  creations  of  an  inferior  mind, 
and  the  achievements  of  any  one  are  in  proportion 
to  that  one's  capacity  and  power.  Therefore  when 
we  begin  to  increase  the  value  of  life  everything 
pertaining  to  life  as  well  as  everything  coming  into 
life  will  increase  also.  Perpetual  development  in 
ourselves  means  perpetual  increase  of  everything 
of  worth  required  in  our  sphere  of  existence.  This 
is  the  law;  but  so  long  as  mental  actions  move  to- 
wards the  surface,  mentality  is  diminished;  there- 
fore the  opposite  process  must  be  established. 

By  training  all  mental  actions  to  move  constantly 
towards  the  within  we  increase  perpetually  the 
capacity,  the  power  and  the  quality  of  mind  and  the 
reason  why  is  very  simple.  When  mental  actions 
move  towards  the  surface  consciousness  will  be  cen- 
tered upon  the  surface  of  things  and  will  therefore 
picture  in  mind  the  lesser  and  inferior  side  of  things. 
Those  mental  energies  that  serve  as  patterns  for 
the  creative  energies  will  in  consequence  be  formed 
in  the  likeness  of  the  smaller.  And  the  result  is  that 
the  mind  will  be  created  according  to  the  lesser  and 
more  inferior  conception  of  itself. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  all  the  actions  of  mind 
move  toward  the  great  within,  the  eye  of  the  mind 
will  concentrate  upon  the  world  of  greater  possi- 
bilities. The  conception  of  things  will  in  such  a 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS  75 

mental  state  constantly  increase  because  attention 
at  such  times  is  concerned  only  with  that  which  is 
larger  and  superior.  Thus  the  mental  energies  will 
be  directed  towards  the  idea  of  superiority,  and  the 
creative  energies  will  naturally  rebuild  the  mind 
gradually  and  steadily  upon  a  larger  and  more  per- 
fect scale.  This  is  all  very  simple  and  anyone  who 
will  examine  the  workings  of  his  own  mind  will  find 
it  to  be  absolutely  true.  We  understand  therefore 
how  each  individual  has  in  his  own  hands  the  power 
to  create  for  himself  a  greater  mind,  a  more  perfect 
personality,  a  richer  life  and  a  more  desirable  des- 
tiny. 

In  all  methods  for  mental  development  this  law 
must  be  wisely  considered  for  no  matter  how  perfect 
the  method  may  be,  if  the  mental  actions  move  to- 
wards the  surface,  no  results  will  be  gained.  While 
on  the  other  hand,  if  the  mental  actions  move 
towards  the  within  results  will  positively  be  gained 
even  though  the  methods  be  inferior.  Nearly  all 
minds  in  the  past  that  continued  to  develop  through 
life  did  so  without  system,  but  gained  increase 
through  aspiration,  or  rather  concentration  upon 
the  greater  possibilities  of  life,  which  in  turn  caused 
mental  actions  to  move  towards  the  within. 

When  your  attention  is  turned  upon  the  inner  and 
the  larger  phases  of  life  your  mind  will  begin  to  turn 
its  actions  upon  the  great  within.  Accordingly  all 
mental  tendencies  will  begin  to  move  toward  superi- 


76  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

ority,  and  all  the  building  forces  in  your  life  will 
have  superiority  as  their  goal.  That  you  should 
constantly  rise  in  the  scale  when  thinking  and  act- 
ing in  this  manner  is  therefore  evident.  Remark- 
able results  have  been  gained  and  can  be  gained 
simply  through  aspiration,  but  if  a  complete  system 
of  the  best  methods  are  employed  in  conjunction 
with  the  fundamental  law,  these  results  will  natur- 
ally increase  to  a  very  great  degree.  For  this  rea- 
son all  things  that  are  conducive  to  the  growth  of 
the  rnind  should  be  employed  in  harmony  so  that 
the  increase  of  mental  power  may  be  gained  in  the 
largest  possible  measure. 

To  train  the  mental  actions  to  move  towards  the 
within  we  should  concentrate  attention  upon  the 
greater  possibilities  of  life,  and  think  as  deeply  and 
as  much  as  we  can  upon  those  possibilities.  In  fact 
we  should  train  the  mind  to  look  towards  the  within 
at  all  times  and  view  with  great  expectations  those 
superior  states  that  ere  long  will  be  attained.  In 
addition  all  tendencies  of  life  should  be  trained  to 
move  towards  the  higher  and  the  larger  and  every 
thought  should  have  an  ascending  spirit. 

When  you  feel  that  you  are  becoming  too  much 
concerned  with  the  superficial,  turn  attention  at 
once  upon  the  depths  of  existence.  And  when  you 
feel  that  you  have  fallen  down  temporarily  into  the 
world  of  inferiority  use  every  effort  at  your  com- 
mand to  rise  again  towards  the  heights.  The  lead- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  77 

ing  purpose  should  be  to  train  all  the  forces,  desires, 
tendencies  and  actions  in  life  to  move  upward  and 
onward  at  all  times.  This  will  cause  the  greater 
powers  and  possibilities  within  to  be  awakened, 
which  will  be  followed  by  the  perpetual  increase 
of  the  capacity,  the  power  and  the  quality  of  the 
mind.  And  with  this  increase  conies  also  the  in- 
crease of  everything  else  in  life  that  is  required  for 
our  highest  welfare. 

When  this  increase  of  power  begins  it  will  natur- 
ally be  felt  in  various  parts  of  mind,  and  in  order 
to  know  how  to  make  the  best  possible  use  of  this 
increase,  as  well  as  of  the  power  we  already  pos- 
sess, we  should  remember  the  great  law,  that  what- 
ever you  feel  that  you  can  do,  that  you  have  the 
power  to  do.  There  are  many  methods  through 
which  we  can  determine  what  the  mind  really  can 
do  and  what  work  we  may  be  able  to  carry  out  suc- 
cessfully, but  this  particular  law  is  the  best  guide  of 
all,  provided  it  is  properly  understood.  And  it  is 
extremely  important  to  discover  what  we  are  able 
to  do  because  the  majority  are  not  in  their  true 
spheres  of  action. 

To  be  in  your  true  sphere  of  action  means  better 
work,  greater  results  and  more  abundant  good  both 
to  yourself  and  to  others  with  whom  you  are  asso- 
ciated. It  also  means  that  you  can  be  at  your  best 
at  all  times  and  he  who  is  at  his  best  at  all  times  is 


78  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

on  the  way  to  perpetual  growth  and  perpetual  in- 
crease. 

To  do  your  best  work  and  your  true  work  you 
must  employ  the  largest  and  the  strongest  faculty 
that  you  possess.  But  to  learn  what  this  faculty 
actually  is,  this  is  the  problem.  This  problem  can 
be  solved,  however,  if  we  live  in  compliance  with 
the  law  just  mentioned.  The  power  that  we  pos- 
sess is  always  felt,  therefore  when  you  feel  that  you 
can  do  a  certain  thing  it  means  that  there  is  suffi- 
cient power  in  that  particular  faculty  that  is  re- 
quired. But  a  faculty  must  be  large  before  it  can 
contain  enough  power  to  be  consciously  felt.  Con- 
sequently the  fact  that  you  feel  power  in  a  certain 
faculty  proves  conclusively  that  that  faculty  is 
large,  and  is  possessed  of  considerable  ability. 

From  this  point  on,  the  question  to  decide  is, 
where  you  feel  the  greatest  amount  of  power  because 
where  you  feel  the  most  power  there  you  will  find 
the  greatest  ability.  This  is  conclusive,  but  here 
another  question  arises,  that  is,  if  the  feeling  of  the 
average  person  is  always  reliable.  The  answer  is 
that  it  is  not.  But  it  can  be  made  so  with  a  little 
training. 

All  psychologists  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  there  is  but  one  sense,  the  sense  of  feeling  and 
that  all  other  senses,  both  in  the  external  and  the 
internal  are  but  modifications  of  this  one  sense. 
It  is  also  admitted  that  the  sense  of  feeling  can  be 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  79 

cultivated  along  scores  of  lines  where  it  is  now 
wholly  inactive,  and  that  there  is  no  perceptible 
limit  to  its  development  along  any  line.  This  being 
true  we  shall  go  to  the  very  foundation  of  all  the 
senses,  and  all  the  modes  of  discerning  things,  when 
we  take  the  sense  of  feeling  for  our  guide  in  the 
selection  of  that  work  for  which  we  have  the  great- 
est talent  and  power. 

To  train  the  sense  of  feeling  in  detecting  the  ex- 
act place  in  mind  where  the  greatest  power  resides, 
the  first  step  is  to  make  this  sense  normal,  which  is 
highly  important  because  the  average  person  has  so 
many  artificial  desires,  and  permits  the  mind  to  be 
stimulated  by  every  successful  venture  that  is  heard 
of. 

There  are  a  great  many  people  who  become 
aroused  with  ambition  to  enter  the  literary  world 
whenever  they  learn  of  remarkable  success  attained 
in  that  world.  Thus  their  energies  are  temporarily 
turned  upon  the  literary  faculties  and  they  feel  con- 
siderable power  in  that  part  of  the  mind.  This  they 
think  is  sufficient  evidence  that  they  have  literary 
talent  and  make  attempts  to  get  results  in  such 
work ;  but  they  soon  find  that  the  inspiration  in  that 
direction  did  not  last  and  they  are  compelled  to  try 
something  else. 

Then  these  people  may  learn  of  remarkable  suc- 
cess in  the  business  world.  They  become  enthused 
over  the  possibilities  of  commercial  ventures  and 


80  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

turn  their  energies  in  that  direction.    But  they  soon 
find  that  their  commercial  faculties  are   not  large 
enough  to  carry  out  their  ambitions  along  this  line. 
In  consequence  they  turn  their  attention  to  the  next 
venture  that  looks  promising.    There  are  thousands 
of  minds  who  are  constantly  affected  in  this  way, 
drifting  from  one  thing  to  another.    They  imagine 
that  because  someone  is  succeeding  in  a  certain 
work  they  may  also  succeed  in  that  work,  provided 
they  have  inclinations  along  that  line.    They  also 
imagine  that  they  are  the  very  ones  to  enter  every 
particular  field  where  the  demand  for  great  service 
and  great  ability  is  required.    The  reason  is  their 
minds  are  controlled  by  appearances  and  what  they 
feel  as  the  result  of  the  switching  of  energy  here 
and  there  from  one  faculty  to  another.  Such  people 
therefore  cannot  rely  upon  the  sense  of  feeling  in 
any  line  of  action  because  it  is  seldom  normal. 

To  produce  a  normal  sense  of  feeling  for  the  pur- 
pose in  question  we  should  never  pay  any  attention 
to  what  others  have  done  or  are  doing  because  the 
success  of  others  proves  nothing  as  far  as  we  are 
concerned.    We  must  not  look  at  the  power  of  an- 
other man's  brain,  but  try  to  find  what  there  is  in 
our  own  brains.    We  should  never  permit  the  en- 
thusiasm  of   others   to   intoxicate  our  own  minds. 
,We  should  let  others  be  enthused  in  their  way  and 
we  should  let  them  concentrate   upon   what  work 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  81 

they  like.  But  we  should  not  imitate  others  either 
in  thought,  enthusiasm  or  feeling. 

The  course  to  pursue  is  to  watch  yourself  closely 
for  some  weeks  or  months  and  try  to  discover  in 
what  faculty  you  feel  the  most  power.  If  you  feel 
the  greatest  power  in  a  certain  faculty  and  in  that 
one  only,  you  may  choose  that  faculty  without  fur- 
ther examination  and  give  it  all  your  force,  energy, 
ambition  and  desire,  realizing  that  the  application 
of  that  faculty  will  bring  the  greatest  results  that 
you  could  attain  in  your  life.  But  if  there  are  several 
other  faculties  that  seem  to  be  equally  strong,  wait 
and  watch  more  closely  until  you  finally  discover  the 
seat  of  the  greatest  power.  When  two  or  more 
seem  to  be  equally  strong,  and  continue  thus  under 
the  most  rigid  self-examination,  choose  the  one  that 
you  can  use  to  the  best  advantage  now,  and  turn  all 
your  power  for  attainment  and  achievement  in  that 
direction. 

When  there  is  prolonged  uncertainty  as  to 
where  the  greatest  amount  of  power  is  expressed 
try  to  increase  the  power  of  every  part  of  your 
mind  by  directing  the  subconscious  to  express  more 
power  from  within.  The  value  of  this  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  the  greatest  amount  of  power  always 
goes  to  the  largest  faculty  so  that  an  increase  of 
power  will  in  every  case  reveal  the  existence  of  the 
leading  talent  or  faculty  in  your  possession. 


82  HOW   THE    MIND    WORKS 

After  you  have  made  the  sense  of  feeling  normal 
so  that  you  can  feel  the  state  of  your  mind  as  it 
really  is,  you  can  always  depend  upon  the  law  that 
whatever  you  feel  that  you  can  do  you  have  the 
power  to  do.  And  you  may  proceed  to  act  along 
that  line  knowing  that  you  will  succeed,  no  matter 
how  difficult  the  undertaking  may  seem  to  be.  It 
is  the  presence  of  great  power  in  a  certain  faculty 
that  makes  you  feel  that  you  can  do  things  by  using 
that  faculty.  Therefore  when  you  can  feel  what 
faculty  is  the  largest  and  strongest  you  know  posi- 
tively what  you  can  do,  what  you  can  accomplish 
and  what  you  should  undertake.  True,  a  great  deal 
of  training  of  that  strongest  faculty  may  be  re- 
quired, but  since  the  talent,  the  ability,  and  the  pow- 
er are  there  the  results  must  follow  when  the  prac- 
tical application  is  made. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  WITHIN  AND  THE  WITHOUT. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  average  person  is  nine- 
tenths  environment;  that  is,  nine-tenths  of  his 
thoughts,  ideas,  desires  and  motives  are  suggested 
by  environment,  or  created  in  the  likeness  of  what 
he  has  come  in  contact  with  in  the  outer  life;  and 
this  is  largely  true.  He  is  therefore  almost  wholly 
patterned  after  the  things  that  make  up  his  sur- 
roundings, and  instead  of  being  himself  is  a  reflec- 
tion of  his  circumstances.  That  such  a  person  can 
master  himself  and  control  his  destiny  is  out  of  the 
question  because  we  cannot  control  external  things 
so  long  as  we  are  almost  entirely  in  the  control  of 
those  things. 

When  we  analyze  this  phase  of  human  life  we  find 
that  the  multitudes  float  with  the  stream  like 
dead  logs;  therefore  can  never  go  where  they  wish 
nor  accomplish  what  they  wish.  However,  no  life 
is  complete  until  we  can  have  things  the  way  we 
like;  that  is,  until  we  can  consciously  change  our- 
selves and  our  environments  according  to  those 
higher  views  of  life  that  we  are  constantly  receiv- 
ing as  we  promote  our  progress.  For  this  reason 
we  must  find  some  way  that  will  lead  us  out  from  the 

83 


84  HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

control  of  environment  if  we  wish  to  live  a  complete 
life  and  a  life  really  worth  living. 

To  proceed  we  find  the  law  to  be  that  any- 
thing in  the  without  that  is  permitted  to  impress  its 
likeness  upon  the  mind  will  influence  character,  con- 
duct, thought,  action  and  living.  And  when  you 
give  such  impressions  full  right  of  way  they  will 
actually  control  your  life,  the  reason  for  which  has 
been  explained  in  preceding  chapters.  To  avoid 
this  influence  from  environment  therefore,  we  must 
refuse  to  receive  impressions  from  without  that  we 
do  not  desire.  But  since  the  greater  part  of  these 
impressions  come  unconsciously  the  question  will  be 
how  to  avoid  them.  This  question,  however,  is  an- 
swered through  the  understanding  of  the  law  of  re- 
ceptivity. 

It  is  natural  for  the  mind  to  receive  impressions 
from  the  without.  It  is  also  necessary.  That  is 
what  the  senses  are  for.  But  it  is  not  natural  to  ab- 
sorb through  the  senses  all  sorts  of  impressions 
from  everything  with  which  we  may  come  in  con- 
tact. When  such  impressions  are  absorbed  without 
discrimination  and  without  our  cognizance  of  the 
fact  we  have  a  mental  state  called  unconscious  re- 
ceptivity, and  this  state  is  produced  by  a  weak  char- 
acter. 

But  here  we  must  remember  that  a  weak  charac- 
ter is  not  necessarily  a  bad  character ;  because  when 
you  are  very  weak  you  may  not  even  be  able  to  do 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  85 

mischief.  To  be  really  bad  you  must  be  strong  be- 
cause a  bad  character  is  a  strong  mind  misdirected, 
while  a  weak  character  is  a  negative  sort  of  good- 
ness, a  goodness  that  means  well  but  is  wholly  in- 
competent. What  is  called  character  is  that  quality 
of  mind  that  discriminates,  selects,  chooses  and 
holds  in  possession  what  has  been  selected.  Char- 
acter therefore  has  two  functions.  The  one  selects 
the  right  and  the  other  holds  the  mind  in  the  right. 
When  character  is  absent  or  so  completely  nega- 
tive that  it  is  almost  wholly  inactive  it  is  not  possi- 
ble for  the  mind  to  select  the  right  or  to  hold  the 
right.  Such  a  mind  will  absorb  nearly  everything 
that  environment  may  suggest  and  will  therefore 
be  a  reflection  of  the  present  sphere  of  existence. 
Most  minds  have  some  character  and  therefore  have 
a  few  ideas  and  motives  of  their  own ;  they  accord- 
ingly eliminate  some  of  the  undesirable  impressions 
that  may  try  to  gain  entrance  to  the  mind.  But  we 
are  all  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  average  person  is 
entirely  too  much  under  the  influence  of  those 
things  that  surround  him.  The  majority  are  af- 
fected to  a  large  extent  by  surroundings,  climatic 
conditions  and  atmospheres  in  general,  though  it  is 
a  sign  of  weakness  to  be  influenced  in  this  manner. 
The  coming  and  going  of  events  and  the  opinions  of 
others  also  play  a  very  large  part  in  moulding  the 
thought  of  most  minds.  But  no  mind  should  be 


86  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

modified  by  such  influences  unless  he  accepts  those 
modifications  by  personal  choice. 

Every  mind  should  be  able  to  be  himself,  no  mat- 
ter what  happens  or  fails  to  happen,  and  every  mind 
should  be  able  to  think  his  own  thought  regardless 
of  anyone's  opinion  on  the  subject.  This,  however, 
requires  a  strong  character;  that  is,  the  ability  to 
make  your  own  selections  and  the  power  to  stand  by 
that  which  you  have  selected. 

The  attitude  of  receptivity  has  frequently  been 
looked  upon  as  a  weakness,  but  it  is  the  lack  of  char- 
acter in  this  connection  that  constitutes  the  weak- 
ness. Receptivity  in  itself  is  indispensable.  There 
are  any  number  of  illustrations  to  prove  this  fact. 
The  mind  that  is  not  receptive  to  the  finer  things  of 
life,  such  as  music,  art,  love,  the  beauties  of  nature 
and  so  on,  has  not  begun  to  live.  Without  the  atti- 
tude of  receptivity,  however,  no  one  can  respond  to 
anything. 

But  here  we  must  remember  that  in  becoming  re- 
ceptive we  should  train  ourselves  to  respond  only 
to  such  things  as  we  consciously  select.  The  most 
receptive  mind  has  the  greatest  opportunities  for 
enjoyment  as  well  as  for  the  increase  of  wisdom. 
But  this  receptivity  must  be  guided,  and  character 
alone  can  do  this.  Receptivity  must  be  employed 
consciously  only,  and  unconscious  receptivity  must 
be  entirely  avoided. 


HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS  87 

The  mind  must  be  able  to  use  consciously  that  to 
which  it  wishes  to  respond,  and  must  also  be  able  to 
respond  perfectly  when  the  choice  is  made.  When 
such  an  attainment  is  secured  you  will  always  be 
yourself,  you  will  never  be  influenced  by  anything 
but  your  own  thought  and  you  will  get  many  times 
as  much  enjoyment  out  of  those  things  of  life  that 
you  are  able  to  appreciate.  And  the  path  to  such 
an  attainment  is  a  strong,  highly  developed  char- 
acter. 

Continuing  this  study  of  man,  and  man's  relations 
to  his  surroundings,  we  meet  a  metaphysical  law  of 
extreme  importance,  and  it  may  be  stated  as  fol- 
lows :  Man's  welfare  depends  upon  what  he  does 
in  the  within  and  how  he  relates  himself  to  the 
without.  The  inner  realm  is  the  cause  realm; 
therefore  this  inner  realm  must  be  acted  upon  con- 
sciously and  properly  when  certain  special  effects 
are  desired.  But  when  these  effects  do  appear  the 
personal  qualities  through  which  they  appear  must 
be  related  correctly  to  their  sphere  of  action. 

There  are  many  good  effects  that  are  spoiled  be- 
cause of  discord  in  those  personalities  through 
which  they  appear,  and  there  are  many  most  ex- 
cellent and  most  harmonious  states  of  mind  that  re- 
main unproductive  because  they  are  not  supplied 
with  the  effect  required.  This  proves  that  the 
within  should  act  to  the  fullest  degree  possible  and 


88  HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

that  the  effects  of  all  such  actions  should  be  placed 
in  perfect  harmony  with  external  circumstances. 

To  promote  the  welfare  of  man  all  thought  should 
be  constructive  and  all  outer  relations  should  be  har- 
monious. We  should  aim  to  agree  with  all  adver- 
saries. We  should  refuse  to  be  out  of  harmony  with 
anything  or  anybody.  We  should  meet  all  things 
in  their  own  world  and  meet  them  with  the  attitude 
of  harmony  towards  their  better  side.  And  this  we 
can  do  because  it  is  possible  to  be  harmoniously  re- 
lated to  everything  in  life ;  and  what  is  more  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary.  When  true  harmony  is  absent 
full  expression  is  prevented,  and  since  it  is  the 
bringing  forth  of  the  best  alone  that  can  give  us  the 
best,  we  find  that  the  full  expression  of  what  is  in  us 
becomes  indispensable  to  our  highest  welfare. 

What  we  do  in  the  within  makes  us  what  we  are. 
And  how  we  are  related  to  the  without  determines 
what  we  are  to  receive  from  the  world.  When  we 
do  much  in  the  within  we  become  much,  and  the 
more  we  can  accomplish  and  attain,  or  create,  in  our 
sphere  of  action.  When  we  are  properly  related  to 
the  world  we  receive  the  very  best  from  the  world, 
that  is,  the  best  that  we  can  appropriate,  appreciate 
and  use  now.  We  can  all  understand  therefore  why 
man's  welfare  depends  upon  what  he  does  in  the 
within  and  how  he  relates  himself  to  the  without. 
However,  to  promote  constructive  action  in  the 
within  we  must  learn  to  apply  the  law  of  growth  in 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  89 

every  part  of  the  human  mind,  and  we  find  that  all 
growth  and  development  is  preceded  by  the  expan- 
sion of  consciousness.  To  expand  consciousness 
therefore  becomes  one  of  the  great  essentials  in 
everything  that  may  pertain  to  perfect  advancement 
and  higher  welfare. 

Mental  growth  involves  three  stages — unfold- 
ment,  development  and  cultivation;  and  in  each 
stage  new  fields  of  action  are  appropriated.  When- 
ever anything  in  the  life  of  an  individual  is  enlarged 
a  new  field  of  activity  has  been  entered.  Unfold- 
ment  is  the  bringing  out  into  a  larger  sphere  that 
which  previously  occupied  a  smaller  sphere.  Devel- 
opment is  the  multiplying  of  modes  of  action.  And 
cultivation  is  the  perfecting  of  those  channels  or  ve- 
hicles through  which  the  various  modes  of  action 
may  find  expression.  The  term  development  is  usu- 
ally employed  to  cover  the  entire  process  because 
it  merges  with  unfoldment  on  the  subjective  side 
and  with  cultivation  on  the  objective  side.  There- 
fore when  used  by  itself  the  entire  process  of  growth 
is  implied. 

Since  development  in  any  sphere  cannot  take 
place  until  consciousness  has  been  expanded  in  that 
sphere  no  process  or  system  of  development  is  com- 
plete until  provided  with  practical  methods  for  pro- 
moting stich  expansion.  This  being  true  we  see 
how  inadequate  modern  systems  of  training  must 
be;  and  accordingly  it  is  not  difficult  to  find  numer- 


90  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

ous  reasons  why  the  race  is  not  more  highly  devel- 
oped. However,  any  process  of  development  will 
expand  consciousness  in  a  measure,  provided  the  de- 
sire for  expansion  is  held  in  mind  when  such  a  proc- 
ess is  employed.  But  this  desire  must  be  present 
and  must  be  very  strong.  .  .  >  * 

To  try  to  feel  the  life  of  all  life,  or  rather  to  place 
mind  in  conscious  contact  with  all  existence,  will 
also  promote  the  same  purpose  to  a  degree  because 
in  this  attitude  the  mind  actually  transcends  present 
limitations.  In  fact  all  limitations  are  eliminated  in 
this  way  and  the  mind  is  set  free  to  enter  new  re- 
gions whenever  it  may  desire.  This  method,  how- 
ever, must  be  employed  with  wisdom  and  perfect 
self-control.  There  are  many  minds  who  have  re- 
cently set  themselves  free  from  all  limitations  of 
consciousness  through  the  exercise  of  universal 
sympathy;  but  not  all  have  gained  anything  thereby. 
A  few  have  been  afraid  to  venture  beyond  what  they 
already  felt  to  be  substantial,  while  others  have 
roamed  here  and  there  and  everywhere  on  the  bor- 
derland of  the  unknown,  wasting  their  energies  in 
search  of  pastures  green.  They  have  had  no  defi- 
nite aim  except  to  find  the  new,  and  therefore  have 
accomplished  nothing.  For  the  fact  is  that  to  find 
the  new  is  not  all  that  is  necessary.  When  we  find 
the  new  we  must  stop  there  awhile  and  get  out  of  it 
what  it  may  contain. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  91 

As  a  rule  the  imagination  runs  wild  after  limita- 
tions of  consciousness  have  been  removed,  and  only 
fragmentary  impressions  are  gained  whenever  a 
slight  pause  for  observation  may  be  taken  when  in 
the  midst  of  these  new  fields.  The  result  is,  ideas 
arid  conclusions  that  have  no  foundation  whatever, 
or  opinions  that  seemed  plausible  to  the  one  that 
produced  them,  but  wholly  devoid  of  truth,  in  fact 
mere  freaks  of  aimless  creative  power.  And  it  is  a 
well  known  fact  that  such  creations  are  entirely  too 
numerous  in  the  mental  world  at  the  present  time. 
Imagination  is  a  splendid  servant,  but  as  a  master 
it  will  invariably  lead  you  into  chaos.  And  in  the 
expansion  of  consciousness  imagination  is  liable  to 
take  the  lead  unless  controlled,  because  at  such  times 
it  becomes  intensely  active. 

To  control  the  imagination  at  such  times  we 
should  not  permit  it  to  do  anything  but  construct 
the  more  perfect  mental  images  according  to  such 
principles  of  life  as  have  proven  themselves  to  be 
scientifically  true.  The  imagination  should  never 
be  permitted  to  roam  aimlessly.  Whenever  em- 
ployed it  should  be  put  to  work  on  something  defi- 
nite that  you  are  resolved  to  perfect  or  work  out. 

Do  not  accept  every  new  mental  image  as  an  ex- 
act truth,  for  a  truth  is  usually  represented  by  a 
large  group  of  mental  images.  But  such  images 
cannot  properly  group  themselves  until  the  mind 
gets  down  to  sound,  rational  md  analytical  thinking. 


'92  HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

It  can  therefore  be  stated  as  a  fact  that  no  mind 
really  understands  new  ideas  until  its  thinking  con- 
cerning those  ideas  has  been  reduced  to  system. 

In  order  to  expand  consciousness  in  any  sphere, 
after  the  limitations  of  that  sphere  have  been  elim- 
inated, the  imagination  must  be  controlled  and  the 
feeling  of  real  life  intensified.  A  highly  active  im- 
agination, however,  must  be  avoided  because  new 
ideas  created  by  an  act  of  the  imagination  does  not 
necessarily  indicate  the  expansion  of  consciousness 
because  an  active  imagination  is  not  always  deep. 
It  usually  skims  the  surface  or  acts  on  the  border- 
land of  new  fields  and  generally  acts  in  the  most 
haphazard  manner.  It  is  the  quiet  orderly  imagi- 
nation combined  with  deep  feeling  that  indicates  ex- 
pansion of  consciousness,  and  that  actually  creates 
new  ideas  that  are  really  true  as  well  as  of  actual 
worth. 

When  we  proceed  to  expand  consciousness  we 
find  that  consciousness  will  not  enter  the  new  field 
until  the  faculty  of  interior  insight  has  established 
the  reality  of  that  field.  In  other  words,  we  must 
discern  that  the  larger  mental  world  is  real  before 
consciousness  will  proceed  to  work  itself  out  into 
that  larger  world.  For  this  reason  we  realize  that 
all  great  minds  must  of  necessity  have  interior  in- 
sight, or  that  something  within  them  that  reveals 
the  fact  that  the  larger  field  is  also  soHd  ground. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  93 

The  man  who  attempts  great  undertakings  usu- 
ally does  so  because  he  feels  within  him  that  suc- 
cess will  crown  his  efforts.  Something  has  told  him 
that  he  can  move  out  upon  the  beyond  of  present 
thought  and  action  without  any  fear  whatever.  To 
the  senses  the  new  realms  may  look  empty,  and  to 
venture  on  may  appear  to  be  nothing  more  than  a 
wild  leap  into  the  fathomless  abyss  of  utter  destruc- 
tion; but  interior  insight  takes  a  different  view. 
This  superior  sight  can  see  further  and  knows  that 
the  seeming  void  of  the  larger  conscious  field  is  ac- 
tually solid  rock.  It  also  knows  that  this  seeming 
void  is  rich  with  possibilities,  many  of  which  can  be 
worked  out  in  practical  life  now. 

Interior  insight  may  be  defined  as  faith  taking 
shape  and  form  for  practical  action.  Faith  itself  is 
a  mental  state  that  dwells  constantly  on  the  border- 
land of  the  unknown,  while  interior  insight  is  a  men- 
tal faculty  the  function  of  which  is  to  examine 
things  at  a  long  range.  Far  sightedness  among 
practical  men  of  affairs  is  the  same  thing,  and  is  one 
of  the  chief  secrets  of  success  in  all  important  un- 
dertakings. Interior  insight  may  be  called  the  tele- 
scope of  the  human  mind,  and  the  more  perfectly  it 
is  developed  the  better  you  understand  the  greater 
possibilities  as  well  as  the  difficulties  that  lie  before 
you. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  when  you  have  this 
insight  you  will  know  not  only  how  to  proceed,  but 


94  HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS 

also  how  to  deal  with  those  things  that  you  know 
you  will  meet  in  your  advancement  toward  greater 
achievements.  When  equipped  with  a  well  devel- 
oped faculty  of  this  kind  you  will  know  what  to  do 
to  make  all  personal  actions  work  together  for  the 
speedy  realization  of  the  greater  things  in  store. 
In  other  words,  you  can  plan  ahead  to  advantage 
and  you  can  turn  all  effort,  thought  and  attention 
in  the  right  direction.  Many  a  time  we  fail  to  see 
the  great  opportunities  that  are  almost  within  reach 
and  instead  of  working  up  to  them  as  we  should  if 
we  saw  them,  we  turn  our  efforts  into  channels  that 
have  practically  nothing  for  us.  Millions  of  mis- 
takes of  this  kind  have  been  made,  but  all  of  them 
could  have  been  avoided  through  the  use  of  interior 
insight. 

According  to  the  fact  under  consideration  this  in- 
sight must  establish  the  reality  of  a  new  field  before 
consciousness  will  naturally  expand  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  that  is,  it  must  prove  to  the  mind  that  the  new 
field  is  substantial  and  full  of  possibilities.  The  de- 
velopment of  interior  insight  is  therefore  absolutely 
necessary  to  the  promotion  of  all  other  kinds  of  de- 
velopment and  without  it  neither  great  attainments 
nor  great  achievements  are  possible.  But  with  it 
there  is  no  mental  field,  however  large  or  marvelous, 
that  the  mind  may  not  finally  enter,  explore,  acquire 
and  possess. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FINDING  YOUR  PLACE  IN   LIFE. 

According  to  the  natural  workings  of  things, 
man  gravitates  towards  those  environments  that  are 
the  exact  counterparts  of  his  own  active  nature. 
This  is  invariaby  the  law.  However,  those  who  are 
living  in  undesirable  environments  may  not  take 
pleasure  in  accepting  the  idea  presented  in  this  law. 
It  is  more  agreeable  to  place  the  blame  elsewhere. 
But  the  fact  that  your  surroundings  are  ordinary 
does  not  necessarily  prove  that  you  are  an  inferior 
person,  although  it  does  prove  that  you  have  not 
brought  forth  into  full  action  the  superior  qualities 
that  you  may  possess. 

Here  we  should  remember  that  it  is  the  active  na- 
ture that  determines  the  surroundings  in  which  we 
are  to  be  placed,  and  the  active  nature  in  most  per- 
sons is  a  mixture  of  conflicting  forces,  many  of 
which  are  constantly  neutralizing  each  other,  or 
disturbing  each  other,  thus  preventing  the  mofre  de- 
sirable of  those  forces  to  produce  such  results  as 
they  have  the  power  to  produce. 

In  addition,  we  must  remember  the  fact  that  a 
disturbed  nature  always  attracts  inferiority  or  is 
drawn  into  disagreeable  conditions.  When  the  ac- 

95 


96  HOW    THE    MIND   WORKS 

tive  forces  in  your  nature  conflict  and  neutralize 
each  other  your  nature  becomes  like  a  leaf  in 
the  whirlwind,  and  you  may  become  a  victim  of  all 
the  unpleasant  conditions  you  meet. 

There  are  a  number  of  people  with  high  and 
strong  powers  who  never  meet  anything  but  the 
dark  side  of  things  and  the  reason  is  that  their  ac- 
tive forces  are  in  conflict.  One  desire  goes  this  way 
and  another  that  way.  Some  intentions  are 
constructive  while  others  move  at  random.  Their 
objects  in  life  are  constantly  being  changed  and 
what  they  build  up  one  day  is  taken  down  the  next. 
Thus  we  understand  why  such  people  fail  to  build 
for  themselves  such  environments  or  surroundings 
as  they  have  the  power  to  build,  and  also  why  they 
are  found  in  situations  that  are  inferior  to  the  best 
that  may  exist  in  their  own  nature. 

If  the  average  mind  should  look  closely  at  his  own 
nature  and  ask  himself  if  all  the  forces  of  his  being 
are  moving  constructively  and  harmoniously  to- 
wards his  one  great  goal,  he  would  find  that  they  are 
not.  He  would  discover  far  more  conflict  in  his  own 
mind  and  consciousness  than  he  expected,  and  he 
would  have  to  admit  that  his  surroundings  are  the 
exact  counterpart  of  those  things  that  are  active  in 
his  own  self. 

There  is  one  exception,  however,  to  this  rule,  an 
exception  that  must  be  considered  before  we  proceed 
further,  and  this  exception  is  found  in  misdirected 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS  97 

sympathy.  We  frequently  find  excellent  people  in 
environments  where  we  know  they  do  not  belong. 
At  first  we  may  fail  to  discover  the  reason,  and  in 
failing  to  do  this  we  may  conclude  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  idea  that  people  attract  their  own  en- 
vironments, or  are  drawn  into  environments  similar 
to  themselves.  But  a  close  examination  of  these 
cases  will  reverse  this  conclusion.  There  are  many 
people  who  remain  where  they  are,  and  frequently 
in  most  undesirable  environments,  not  because  they 
belong  there,  but  because  their  sympathy  keeps  them 
there.  They  do  not  wish  to  break  away  for  fear 
others  may  suffer.  We  all  know  of  many  such  cases, 
and  when  we  look  into  this  subject  closely  we  find 
that  misdirected  sympathy  is  one  of  the  greatest 
obstacles  to  the  proper  adjustment  of  persons  with 
their  true  surroundings. 

If  it  were  not  for  misdirected  sympathy  several 
million  people  would  today  be  living  in  far  better 
environments — environments  that  would  be  directly 
suited  to  their  present  natures  and  needs.  But  to 
break  loose  from  old  associations  and  accept  new 
opportunities  may  at  times  seem  unkind.  However, 
we  must  remember  that  we  are  living  for  the  whole 
race,  and  not  only  for  a  few  friends.  And  also  that 
we  can  render  the  best  service  to  the  race,  including 
our  present  friends,  by  being  perfectly  true  to  our- 
selves ;  that  is,  by  living  and  working  where  we  ac- 
tually belong. 


98  HOW   THE    MIND   WORKS 

Sentimentalism  and  abnormal  feelings  have  kept 
down  thousands  of  fine  minds,  and  compelled  many 
a  human  flower  to  wither  among  weeds ;  but  this  is 
always  wrong.  The  entire  race  is  kept  back  in  a 
measure  whenever  a  single  worthy  person  is  held 
down.  Therefore  we  must  seek  to  avoid  such  a  cir- 
cumstance whenever  we  can.  Each  individual  must 
be  permitted  to  be  true  to  himself;  and  it  is  wrong 
for  us  to  shed  tears  when  a  friend  finds  it  necessary 
to  go  elsewhere  to  promote  his  progress. 

You  may  be  living  today  in  uncongenial  or  un- 
pleasant environments,  or  your  work  may  call  you 
where  you  know  you  do  not  belong;  and  there  are 
several  causes.  You  may  be  held  where  you  are 
on  account  of  misdirected  sympathy.  If  so,  give 
reason  a  chance  to  prove  to  you  that  you  are  wrong- 
ing everybody  by  staying  where  you  are.  You  can- 
not do  the  right  thing  for  yourself  nor  for  anyone 
else  unless  you  are  at  your  best,  and  to  do  your  best 
you  must  be  where  you  belong. 

Then  you  may  be  held  where  you  are  because 
you  have  no  definite  purpose  in  life,  and  if  so,  decide 
upon  a  purpose,  proceeding  at  once  to  train  all  the 
forces  of  your  being  to  work  for  that  purpose  and 
that  alone.  Gradually  you  will  work  away  from 
your  present  surroundings  and  doors  will  open 
through  which  you  may  pass  to  better  things.  There 
is  nothing  that  will  take  you  into  better  environ- 
ments more  quickly  than  to  have  a  fixed  and  high 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS  99 

purpose,  and  to  marshall  all  the  powers  of  mind  and 
soul  to  work  together  for  the  promotion  of  that 
purpose.  And  since  this  is  something  that  all  can 
do,  there  is  no  reason  whatever  why  a  single  person 
should  live  in  surroundings  that  are  inferior  to  him- 
self. 

Then  there  is  another  reason,  possibly  the  most 
important  of  all.  You  may  be  held  where  you  are 
because  your  good  qualities  are  negative  and  have 
neither  working  capacity  nor  practical  application. 
If  the  better  side  of  you  is  negative  and  if  such  ad- 
verse tendencies  as  you  may  have  inherited  are  pos- 
itive and  active,  you  are  making  for  yourself  a 
world  that  is  anything  but  ideal.  In  this  case  it  is 
not  the  best  that  is  in  you,  but  the  worst  that  is  in 
you  that  determines  what  kind  of  surroundings  you 
are  to  receive,  build  up  or  attract.  However,  when 
your  better  side  becomes  strong  and  positive ;  when 
your  good  intentions  are  filled  with  living  power, 
and  when  you  turn  all  the  forces  of  your  being  into 
the  promotion  of  larger  and  higher  aims,  there  is 
going  to  be  a  great  change.  You  will  soon  begin  to 
build  for  the  better,  you  will  begin  to  gravitate  to- 
wards better  environments  and  you  will  meet  every- 
where more  congenial  conditions. 

But  in  this  connection  one  of  the  great  essentials 
is  that  all  the  forces  of  your  better  nature  be  in  har- 
mony and  trained  to  work  together  for  those  bet- 
ter environments  that  you  have  in  view.  It  is  not 


100         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

what  you  are  negatively,  inherently  or  potentially 
that  determines  your  present  conditions  in  life.  It 
is  what  you  use  and  how  that  something  is  used. 
There  are  people  with  small  minds  and  insignificant 
abilities  that  are  now  living  in  most  desirable  en- 
vironments simply  because  the  active  forces  of  their 
nature  work  together  for  a  definite  object  constantly 
in  view.  Then  there  are  others  with  splendid  minds 
and  remarkable  talents  that  are  living  in  the  midst 
of  failure  and  distress  simply  because  they  did  not 
make  constructive  use  of  the  powers  they  possessed ; 
in  other  words,  the  better  elements  in  their  nature 
were  not  in  harmony  and  therefore  could  not  pro- 
duce results. 

It  is  strict  adherence  to  the  quiet,  steady,  orderly 
and  constant  forward  movement  that  will  bring  you 
to  the  goal  in  view,  and  even  when  your  forces  are 
so  weak  that  you  have  to  move  slowly.  But  when 
you  are  endowed  with  extraordinary  capabilities 
you  will  through  this  process  rise  rapidly,  and  finally 
attain  everything  you  have  had  in  view.  A  man  may 
not  be  strictly  honest  or  moral,  nevertheless,  if  he 
has  ability  and  employs  his  faculties  constructively 
and  harmoniously,  he  will  build  for  himself  a  su- 
perior environment.  And  through  his  power  to 
achieve  the  greater  things  he  will  be  attracted  to- 
wards opportunities  that  will  promote  still  further 
the  improvement  of  his  environment.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  if  this  man  were  honest,  moral 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          101 

and  true  his  power  would  be  still  greater,  and  he 
would  enjoy  far  better  the  richness  and  beauties  of 
his  delightful  surroundings. 

There  is  a  belief  among  many  that  honest  people 
ought  to  have  the  best  that  life  can  give,  but  the 
mere  state  of  being  honest  is  not  sufficient.  The 
best  man  in  the  world  will  be  a  failure  if  he  does  not 
employ  his  ability  constructively,  because  it  is  do- 
ing things  that  counts.  And  to  do  things  the  powers 
we  possess  must  work  in  harmony  and  work  with  a 
definite  object  in  view. 

In  this  connection  we  must  not  forget  that  the 
mind  that  is  pure,  honest  and  just  can  accomplish 
far  more  with  a  given  ability  than  one  who  does  not 
have  these  virtues.  Virtues  do  not  create  but  they 
do  have  the  power  to  give  proper  direction  to  the 
process  of  creation.  It  is  constructive  ability  that 
does  things.  Character  simply  guides  the  doing  so 
that  the  product  may  be  of  the  highest  order  and  the 
greatest  worth.  That  the  person,  therefore,  who 
has  character  only  and  no  constructive  ability  will 
accomplish  very  little  in  the  world  and  will  have  to 
submit  to  the  inconsistencies  of  fate. 

The  course  to  pursue  is  to  combine  ability  with 
character,  and  to  turn  all  powers  and  talents  to- 
wards the  attainment  of  some  definite  goal.  When 
we  take  this  course  we  are  going  to  rise  out  of  our 
present  conditions  and  enter  steadily  and  surely  into 
the  better  and  the  superior.  It  is  your  active  nature 


102         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

that  counts.  You  may  have  a  score  of  good  quali- 
ties, but  if  those  qualities  are  not  active  they  will 
contribute  nothing  to  the  building  up  of  your  envi- 
ronment or  your  destiny.  Therefore  the  more  de- 
velopment, the  more  power  and  superiority  that  you 
can  express  through  your  active  nature,  the  greater 
will  be  the  results  in  the  external  world. 

But  all  the  qualities  of  your  active  nature  must 
have  worth  and  must  work  together.  Superior 
qualities  working  at  variance  with  each  other  will 
take  you  down  into  inferior  environments,  while  in- 
ferior qualities  if  constructive  and  united  in  action 
will  take  you  into  better  environments  than  you  may 
be  living  in  now.  The  whole  problem  therefore  is 
to  express  your  best  in  action,  and  to  train  the  active 
powers  and  qualities  in  your  being  to  work  in  per- 
fect harmony ;  that  is,  to  work  together  for  the  same 
purpose  and  in  the  same  attitude. 

Conflicting  tendencies  of  mind  have  given  pov- 
erty, distress  and  misfortune  to  many  of  great  abil- 
ity and  superior  goodness,  while  properly  united 
tendencies  have  given  success  to  many  a  man  who 
was  neither  able  nor  true.  However,  nature  is  just. 
We  receive  according  to  what  we  have  accomplish- 
ed ;  not  according  to  what  we  have  tried  to  do,  but 
what  we  actually  have  done ;  or  in  other  words,  not 
according  to  what  there  is  in  us,  but  according  to 
how  much  of  what  is  in  us  we  applied  in  a  thorough 
and  practical  manner. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          103 

We  will  receive  material  success  and  delightful 
exterior  surroundings  if  we  have  worked  properly 
for  those  things.  But  if  we  have  neglected  to  work 
for  the  finer  things  of  life  we  will  receive  nothing 
that  has  permanent  value  in  human  existence,  and 
we  will  not  have  the  capacity  to  enjoy  our  ideal  sur- 
roundings. For  this  reason  the  wise  man  works  for 
all  that  is  beautiful  and  true,  both  in  the  material 
sense  and  in  a  higher  sense.  Accordingly  he  will 
receive  riches  both  in  the  without  and  in  the  within ; 
thereby  gaining  the  privilege  to  live  the  full  life,  the 
complete  life  and  the  life  that  is  really  worth  living. 
You  may  conclude  therefore  that  if  things  are  not 
right  in  your  world  you  are  to  blame.  Accept  the 
blame  and  resolve  to  take  things  into  your  own 
hands  and  make  them  right.  This  you  can  posi- 
tively do  because  your  environment  will  be  exactly 
what  your  active  nature  is,  and  you  can  change  your 
active  nature  as  you  may  desire. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WHEN  ALL  THINGS  WORK  FOR  GOOD. 

In  analyzing  the  workings  of  the  mind  there  is  no 
subject  of  more  importance  than  that  of  the  relation 
of  good  and  evil.  Concerning  evil  there  are  many 
doctrines,  some  of  which  declare  that  it  is  a  real  and 
permanent  power  battling  with  the  good,  while  oth- 
ers declare  that  it  is  nothing,  or  simply  the  absence 
of  good.  Then  between  these  two  extreme  beliefs 
almost  any  number  of  other  beliefs  may  be  found. 
To  prove  that  evil  is  an  actual  principle  personified 
in  some  form  is  not  only  difficult,  but  impossible.  On 
the  other  hand,  to  prove  to  the  world  that  evil  is 
nothing  is  by  no  means  simplicity  itself.  Neverthe- 
less, this  doctrine  comes  very  nearly  being  the  truth. 

However,  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  analyze  the  na- 
ture of  evil  in  this  connection.  That  is  a  subject  so 
large  that  separate  attention  would  be  required.  Our 
object  here  is  to  make  clear  what  we  wish  to  bring 
out  in  connection  with  a  most  important  law,  viz., 
that  when  we  give  conscious  recognition  to  the  ex- 
istence of  an  evil  we  tend  to  increase  its  power  and 
multiply  its  effects.  And  in  dealing  with  this  law 
it  will  be  necessary  to  define  briefly  what  evil  actu- 

104 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          105 

ally  is,  or  rather  what  the  new  psychology  has  found 
it  to  be. 

To  say  that  evil  is  the  absence  of  the  good  is  not 
sufficiently  explicit;  while  to  say  that  evil  is  unde- 
veloped good  is  simply  to  play  upon  words.  The 
process  of  development  is  continuous ;  therefore  the 
fully  developed  of  today  is  undeveloped  in  compari- 
son with  the  possibilities  of  tomorrow.  So  that  ac- 
cording to  that  idea  the  good  of  today  would  be  evil 
in  the  light  of  tomorrow  which  is  by  no  means  a  sci- 
entific idea.  The  truth  in  this  connection  is  that 
when  we  employ  the  undeveloped  just  as  if  it  were 
developed  we  produce  what  we  call  evil,  and  it  is  this 
fact  that  has  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  evil  is  un- 
developed good. 

When  we  look  closely  at  those  things  that  are 
called  evil  we  find  that  in  every  case  force  has  been 
employed  contrary  to  the  natural  laws  involved.  It 
will  therefore  be  correct  to  say  that  evil  is  misdi- 
rected good,  or  that  it  is  the  improper  use  of  a  power 
that  is  in  itself  good.  In  fact,  all  powers,  forces  and 
elements  are  good  in  themselves  because  all  that  is 
real  is  good.  Everything  is  created  for  a  good  pur- 
pose and  is  actually  good,  but  it  is  possible  to  em- 
ploy it  for  a  purpose  that  is  not  in  accord  with  those 
laws  under  which  we  live  at  the  present  moment. 
And  here  is  where  evil  may  arise. 

Every  act  is  good,  proper  and  useful  when  per- 
formed in  its  own  sphere  of  action,  but  when  per- 


106         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

formed  outside  of  its  own  sphere  it  is  not  good.  It 
produces  conditions  that  we  call  evil.  This  being 
true  the  fact  that  every  act  has  its  own  sphere  of  ac- 
tion is  one  of  the  greatest  facts  in  the  universe.  We 
can  do  only  such  things  at  such  times  that  harmonize 
with  the  laws  that  obtain  at  the  time  and  under  the 
circumstance.  And  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
persistence  of  the  universe  that  such  laws  be  abso- 
lute, because  if  they  were  not  the  universe  would  be 
chaos. 

To  simplify  the  subject  we  may  state  that  evil  is  a 
condition  produced  by  an  act  that  is  performed  out- 
side of  its  natural  sphere,  and  that  the  power  and  ef- 
fects of  that  condition  depend  upon  how  much  life 
the  mind  throws  into  that  particular  act.  It  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  the  mind  gives  its  life  to  those  ac- 
tions and  conditions  upon  which  consciousness  is  di- 
rected, and  consciousness  is  always  directed  where 
reality  is  supposed  to  exist.  Therefore  when  we  give 
conscious  recognition  to  the  existence  of  an  evil  we 
give  more  life  and  power  to  those  conditions  that  we 
call  evil,  and  in  consequence  make  them  much  worse 
than  they  were.  This  is  very  simple  because  the 
more  attention  you  give  to  anything  the  more  life 
and  power  you  add  to  that  particular  thing,  be  it 
good  or  evil.  Accordingly  it  is  unwise  to  give  at- 
tention or  recognition  to  evil  under  any  circum- 
stance. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          107 

However,  the  question  is  how  we  can  prevent  giv- 
ing conscious  attention  to  the  evil  and  the  wrong. 
When  evil  seems  so  very  real  how  can  we  avoid  giv- 
ing conscious  recognition  to  its  existence  ?  The  an- 
swer is  that  we  must  get  a  better  understanding  of 
the  real  nature  of  evil  and  the  real  nature  of  good, 
because  when  this  understanding  is  gained  we  can 
train  the  mind  to  act  correctly  in  this  connection. 
When  we  know  that  evil  is  not  a  thing,  not  a  prin- 
ciple, not  a  reality,  but  simply  a  certain  temporary 
and  mistaken  use  of  reality;  and  when  we  know 
that  the  use  of  that  reality  has  its  origin  in  our  own 
minds,  our  attention  will  at  once  be  transferred  from 
the  unpleasant  condition  surrounding  the  evil,  and 
be  directed  instead  upon  our  own  inner  mental  do- 
main. Thus  consciousness  will  be  withdrawn  from 
the  condition  called  evil  and  will  become  concerned 
with  the  change  of  mental  action.  Accordingly  the 
power  of  the  evil  will  at  once  be  diminished. 

Actual  experience  in  life  has  demonstrated  the 
fact  a  number  of  times  that  pain  or  even  a  severe 
disease  will  disappear  instantaneously  when  con- 
sciousness is  fully  and  completely  taken  into  another 
sphere  or  thought  or  action.  This  proves  that  an 
evil  condition  can  live  only  so  long  as  we  give  it  life, 
and  we  give  it  life  only  so  long  as  we  consciously  ad- 
mit or  recognize  its  existence.  When  an  evil  condi- 
tion is  felt,  attention  should  at  once  be  directed  upon 
the  opposite  good  that  exists  in  the  inner  world  of 


108         HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS 

perfection.  This  action  of  the  mind  will  take  con- 
sciousness away  from  the  unpleasant  condition  and 
will  cause  all  the  faculties  of  the  mind  to  work  in 
realizing  the  absolutely  good. 

When  we  proceed  to  trace  all  perverted  action 
to  its  inner  mental  source  consciousness  will  follow, 
leaving  evil  behind,  and  coming  to  give  its  life  to  the 
change  of  the  said  source  which  proves  itself  sim- 
ply to  be  a  misunderstanding  of  things.  Then  if  the 
desire  of  the  heart  is  to  change  the  source  of  that 
action,  or  in  other  words,  to  gain  a  correct  under- 
standing of  things,  the  new  and  the  ideal  image  of 
the  good  will  appear  in  the  mind,  and  according  to 
laws  previously  presented  a  change  for  the  better 
will  follow  at  once. 

To  illustrate,  we  will  take  a  depressed  condition 
of  mind  or  body  and  proceed  to  remove  it  by  this 
method.  First,  we  will  picture  clearly  upon  the  mind 
the  perfect  image  of  harmony  so  that  we  can  almost 
see  harmony  with  the  mind.  Second,  we  will  prove 
to  ourselves  through  reason  that  this  depressed  con- 
dition is  not  a  thing,  but  the  temporary  result  of  val- 
uable power  misdirected.  And  since  this  power  is 
misdirected  by  our  own  mind,  our  own  mind  must 
contain  the  origin  of  that  misdirection.  Then  we 
will  turn  attention  upon  our  own  inner  mentality 
with  a  view  of  removing  the  source  of  perversion, 
establishing  a  state  of  harmony;  and  while  thus  di- 
recting attention  upon  the  inner  mentality  we  will 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          109 

hold  the  mind  in  such  an  attitude  that  it  is  moving 
directly  upon  the  image  of  perfect  harmony. 

The  result  will  be  that  consciousness  will  become 
so  absorbed  in  creating  the  new  state  of  harmony 
that  it  will  withdraw  completely  from  the  outer  evil 
condition.  This  outer  condition  will  in  consequence 
disappear  as  it  is  deprived  of  life,  while  the  new 
state  of  harmony  will  be  firmly  established  by  re- 
ceiving all  the  attention  and  all  the  life.  In  other 
words,  when  consciousness  leaves  the  condition  of 
evil,  evil  has  nothing  further  to  live  on,  and  will  dis- 
appear ;  and  as  consciousness  enters  the  condition  of 
harmony  and  good  in  the  within  those  conditions 
will  receive  all  the  life  that  consciousness  has  to 
give,  and  will  accordingly  grow  and  develop  until 
they  become  sufficiently  strong  to  take  possession 
of  the  entire  human  system. 

This  is  a  simple  process  that  works  perfectly  and 
that  can  be  employed  successfully  in  removing  any 
undesirable  condition  from  mind  or  body.  How- 
ever, before  we  begin  we  must  picture  clearly  upon 
the  mind  the  image  of  the  perfect  state  that  we  seek 
to  realize  and  develop,  and  proceed  as  above  in  the 
elimination  of  the  wrong  through  the  creation  of 
the  right.  A  perfect  understanding  of  the  law  un- 
der consideration  will  aid  remarkably  in  turning  our 
attention  as  required  because  there  is  nothing  that 
can  change  the  mind  so  readily  as  the  reasoning  pro- 


110          HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

cess  involved  in  a  clear  understanding  of  the  subject 
at  hand. 

To  realize  fully  that  life  and  power  always  go 
wherever  consciousness  goes,  is  extremely  import- 
ant and  also  that  consciousness  can  be  directed  any- 
where by  becoming  thoroughly  interested  wherever 
we  wish  it  to  go.  In  applying  these  methods  people 
who  feel  deeply  always  have  the  best  results  because 
deep  feeling  tends  to  produce  deep  interest  in  those 
conditions  into  which  we  wish  to  direct  attention. 

Closely  connected  with  this  process  we  find  a  most 
important  metaphysical  law  which  may  be  stated  as 
follows:  All  things  work  together  for  good  to 
him  who  desires  only  the  good.  And  as  it  is  pos- 
sible for  anyone  to  desire  the  good  and  the  good  only 
we  realize  that  it  is  possible  for  anyone  to  cause  all 
things  to  work  together  for  good  in  his  life.  This 
law  proves  that  the  way  to  better  things  is  not  nearly 
as  difficult  as  we  have  supposed  it  to  be,  and  also 
that  the  straight  and  narrow  path  is  by  no  means  a 
path  that  the  few  alone  can  enter. 

The  doctrine  of  the  straight  and  narrow  path  has 
been  misinterpreted  as  it  does  not  refer  to  something 
that  is  so  extremely  difficult  to  pass  through,  nor  is 
it  a  path  that  leads  directly  away  from  everything 
that  is  pleasant  in  life.  Neither  is  it  so  narrow  that 
we  can  pass  through  it  only  when  we  have  given  up 
everything  else  in  life.  The  belief  that  everything  in 
life  must  be  left  out  if  we  wish  to  take  this  path  is 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS         111 

not  only  absurd,  but  is  the  very  opposite  to  the  real 
truth.  The  path  that  leads  into  life,  the  full  life,  the 
complete  life,  the  beautiful  life  is  straight  because 
it  is  established  upon  law.  When  you  take  this  path 
you  begin  to  use  all  the  laws  of  life  properly  and  will 
therefore  gain  all  the  good  things  that  life  has  the 
power  to  give. 

Here  we  must  remember  that  a  law  is  not  a  cruel 
something,  the  function  of  which  is  simply  to  pun- 
ish. A  law  is  a  path  that  leads  to  greater  and  better 
things.  Therefore  to  follow  a  law  is  to  move  di- 
rectly towards  the  better  and  the  greater.  When  we 
live  according  to  a  law  we  are  constantly  receiving 
the  greater  riches  that  lie  in  that  path,  and  when  we 
live  according  to  all  the  laws  of  life  we  receive 
everything  good  that  life  can  give.  However,  when 
we  violate  law  we  go  outside  of  the  path,  where 
there  is  nothing  to  be  gained  and  nothing  to  live  for. 
In  fact,  we  step  out  of  everything  that  pertains  to 
life  and  thus  enter  chaos,  the  result  of  which  is  pain, 
loss  and  retrogression.  It  is  not  the  law  that  gives 
us  punishment  when  we  go  astray.  When  we  go 
astray  we  deprive  ourselves  of  the  good  things  of 
life  by  going  away  from  that  path  where  those  good 
things  are  to  be  found.  And  when  we  are  deprived 
of  the  good,  the  good  is  absent ;  and  the  absence  of 
the  good  means  evil,  the  entering  into  of  which 
means  punishment. 


112         HOW   THE    MIND   WORKS 

The  path  that  leads  into  life  is  narrow  because 
it  gives  room  only  for  your  own  individuality,  and 
only  for  the  true  self.  You  cannot  be  a  double  self, 
one  part  good  and  the  other  not,  when  you  enter 
this  path.  There  is  only  room  for  the  true  self. 
Neither  can  you  lean  on  some  one  else.  There  is  not 
room  for  anyone  upon  which  to  lean,  as  the  path  is 
for  yourself  alone.  On  this  path  you  must  live  your 
own  life  and  give  all  others  freedom  to  live  their 
own  life. 

Life  is  given  us  to  be  lived,  and  to  live  life  we 
must  live  to  ourselves  according  to  our  own  light 
and  our  own  individual  needs.  The  path  to  life 
is  the  path  to  better  things ;  in  other  words,  it  is  the 
advancing  path  and  is  therefore  not  a  dismal,  dis- 
agreeable or  difficult  path.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  the 
very  opposite  and  is  found  by  seeking  the  good  and 
the  good  only.  So  long  as  we  have  only  the  good  in 
mind  we  will  be  on  this  path.  We  will  live  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  life  and  will  receive  only  good 
things  because  the  laws  of  life  can  give  only  good 
things.  But  when  we  begin  to  desire  what  is  not 
good  we  are  at  once  drawn  out  of  the  path.  Thus 
we  will  be  deprived  of  the  essentials  of  life,  and  in- 
stead we  will  enter  into  emptyness,  weakness,  per- 
version, confusion  and  all  kinds  of  disaster. 

When  all  our  desires  are  directed  upon  the  attain- 
ment of  the  highest  good  our  creative  powers  will 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          113 

proceed  to  create  and  rebuild  everything  within  us 
and  about  us,  thus  causing  all  things  to  become  bet- 
ter. Everything  in  life  will  improve.  We  will  be  in 
more  perfect  harmony  with  our  surroundings  and 
will  attract  more  agreeable  persons,  circumstances 
and  events.  We  will  become  creators  of  the  good. 
Everything  that  we  do  will  produce  good  and  every-, 
thing  that  we  attempt  will  result  in  good.  We  will 
meet  all  persons  and  environments  on  the  better  side, 
and  will  in  consequence  receive  the  best  things  that 
such  persons  and  environments  have  the  power  to 
give.  Every  change  that  we  make  will  be  an  open 
door  to  greater  good  because  we  are  moving  to- 
wards the  good  and  the  good  only  as  every  change 
is  being  made. 

Here  it  is  very  important  to  remember  that  when 
we  desire  only  the  good  we  are  always  moving  to- 
wards greater  good,  and  must  without  fail  realize 
the  greater  good  in  the  near  future.  If  we  pass 
through  a  few  unpleasant  experiences  while  we  are 
waiting  we  must  not  pay  attention  to  such  seeming 
inconsistencies.  The  fact  that  all  will  be  well  when 
we  reach  the  goal  in  view  should  so  fully  occupy  our 
minds  that  we  will  not  be  disturbed  by  any  defect 
that  may  be  found  in  the  way  over  which  we  must 
for  the  present  pass. 

To  desire  the  good,  however,  does  not  mean  to 
desire  mere  self-satisfaction.  It  is  the  universal 


114         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

good  that  must  be  held  in  mind,  the  greatest  good 
for  everybody.  And  this  must  not  only  be  held  in 
mind  but  deeply  desired  with  the  whole  heart  and 
soul.  The  proper  course  is  to  desire  only  the  high- 
est good  and  then  turn  all  the  life  and  power  we  pos- 
sess into  that  desire.  In  fact  we  should  make  that 
desire  far  stronger  than  all  other  desires  and  we 
should  live  in  it  constantly. 

As  you  proceed  in  this  manner  all  the  laws  of  the 
mind  will  work  with  you  in  promoting  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  good  that  you  have  in  view  and  will  grad- 
ually eliminate  the  results  of  past  mistakes.  Should 
the  personal  self  tend  to  make  new  mistakes  or  take 
mis-steps,  thereby  leading  your  plans  out  of  the  true 
path,  something  will  occur  to  prevent  you  from  do- 
ing this  before  it  is  too  late.  The  laws  of  your  being 
will  cause  something  to  come  in  your  way  and  thus 
turn  your  life  in  another  direction,  that  is,  in  a  new 
direction  where  the  highest  good  you  have  in  view 
may  be  finally  realized. 

When  you  have  set  your  heart  and  soul  upon  the 
attainment  of  the  good  and  the  good  only,  the  pre- 
dominating powers  in  your  being  will  work  only  for 
good,  and  all  lesser  powers  will,  one  after  the  other, 
be  taken  into  the  same  positive  current  so  that  ere 
long  all  things  in  your  life  will  work  together  for 
good.  We  may  not  understand  at  first  how  these 
powers  operate,  but  we  shall  soon  find  that  the  re- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          lib 

suits  we  had  in  view  are  being  realized  more  and 
more.  And  as  this  realization  is  gained  we  shall 
come  positively  to  the  conclusion  that  all  things  do 
work  together  for  good  when  we  desire  the  good 
and  the  good  alone. 


CHAPTER  XL 

WITH  WHAT  MEASURE  YE  METE. 

He  who  gives  much  receives  much.  This  we  all 
know,  but  the  question  is  what  it  means  to  give. 
When  we  speak  of  giving  we  usually  think  of  char- 
ity and  poverty ;  and  believing  that  the  latter  is  inev- 
itable we  conclude  that  the  former  must  be  an  ex- 
alted virtue ;  but  poverty  is  not  inevitable.  It  is  not 
a  part  of  life's  plan.  It  is  simply  a  mistake.  There- 
fore charity  cannot  be  otherwise  than  a  temporal 
remedy.  Such  remedies,  however,  though  good  and 
necessary,  do  not  always  constitute  virtues  because 
virtue  is  permanent  and  is  a  part  of  a  continuous 
advancement  in  man. 

He  who  gives  in  charity  does  not  receive  anything 
in  return  unless  he  also  gives  himself.  It  is  there- 
fore not  the  giving  of  things  that  brings  reward,  but 
the  giving  of  life.  But  to  give  much  life  one  must 
possess  much  life,  and  to  possess  much  life  one  must 
live  a  large  measure  of  life.  According  to  the  law, 
life  is  measured  out  to  us  with  the  same  measure 
that  we  employ  in  the  measuring  of  our  own  exist- 
ence. In  other  words,  we  will  receive  only  as  much 
life  as  our  own  measure  can  hold ;  but  it  is  not  only 
life  that  is  measured  out  to  us  in  this  way.  Every- 

116 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          117 

thing  that  pertains  to  life  is  measured  in  a  similar 
way. 

\Ve  conclude,  therefore,  that  he  who  sets  out  a 
large  measure  to  be  filled  will  receive  a  large  meas- 
ure full,  and  that  he  who  gives  himself  simply  offers 
his  own  life  for  further  enrichment.  He  who  gives 
much  of  himself  will  be  abundantly  enriched  because 
he  places  in  life  a  large  measure  of  himself  to  be 
filled.  He  who  gives  things  may  lose  all  that  is  giv- 
en. But  he  who  gives  himself,  the  best  that  is  in 
himself,  loses  nothing.  Instead  he  gains  a  larger 
and  a  richer  self.  He  who  gives  himself  to  the  race 
gives  life  and  life  can  supply  all  needs. 

To  have  an  abundance  of  life  is  to  have  the  power 
to  help  yourself  and  to  re-create  your  own  world 
according  to  your  highest  desires.  The  gift  of  life 
is  therefore  the  highest  gift.  It  is  also  the  largest 
gift  because  it  includes  all  gifts.  He  who  gives  life 
does  not  give  to  relieve  poverty,  but  to  build  strong 
souls,  and  when  strong  souls  appear  poverty  disap- 
pears of  itself.  To  give  one's  life  is  to  express  in 
thought,  word  or  action  everything  of  worth  that 
one  may  possess  in  mind  or  soul ;  that  is,  everything 
that  one  may  live  for.  And  how  much  we  live  for 
depends  upon  how  largely  the  life  is  measured  in 
our  understanding.  When  we  measure  life  largely, 
life  will  give  us  a  large  measure  of  itself. 

When  we  blend  consciousness  with  the  universal 
we  will  receive  universal  consciousness  in  return. 


118         HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS 

When  we  think  only  of  the  boundless,  our  thought 
will  be  limited  no  more.  When  we  take  a  larger 
measure  of  our  talents  the  wisdom  that  fills  the  uni- 
verse will  also  fill  that  larger  measure.  When  we 
take  a  large  measure  of  man  and  have  faith  in  the 
superior  side  of  every  mind,  every  mind  will  give 
to  us  as  much  as  our  measure  of  that  mind  can  hold. 
Realizing  these  great  facts  we  should  dwell  con- 
stantly in  the  world  of  greater  possibilities. 

We  should  expect  much,  work  for  much,  live  for 
much,  have  faith  in  much,  and  we  shall  find  that  as 
much  will  come  to  us  as  we  have  thought,  lived  and 
worked  for.  We  should  never  limit  anything  nor 
anyone.  The  measure  of  all  things  should  be  as 
large  as  our  conscious  comprehension  and  we  should 
refuse  to  be  contented  with  anything  except  that 
which  is  constantly  enlarging  its  measure.  Accord- 
ingly we  should  live  for  great  things  and  press  on. 
Thus  the  greater  and  the  greater  will  surely  be 
measured  out  in  return.  This  is  the  law  and  it  can- 
not fail. 

Very  few,  however,  apply  this  law  and  that  is  the 
reason  why  the  majority  accomplish  so  little.  They 
undertake  so  little  and  they  never  reach  the  high 
places  because  they  nearly  always  aim  at  the  low 
ones.  Many  minds  that  aim  high  for  a  while  lose 
their  lofty  aspirations  later  on  because  they  fail  to 
reach  the  mountain  top  the  first  week  or  the  first 
year.  Others  again  aspire  to  the  high  things  though 


HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS          119 

at  the  same  time  think  of  themselves  as  limited,  in- 
significant and  even  worse.  But  if  we  would  become 
great  we  must  blend  all  though  with  greatness  and 
measure  ourselves  with  that  measure  that  is  large 
enough  to  contain  all  the  greatness  we  can  possibly 
conceive  of. 

He  who  expands  consciousness  so  as  to  measure 
things  largely  gains  capacity,  while  he  who  takes  a 
small  view  of  everything  remains  incompetent.  We 
do  not  get  power,  growth  or  ability  by  trying  to  cram 
a  small  mind,  but  by  trying  to  expand  the  mind. 
And  to  expand  the  mind  we  must  take  the  largest 
possible  view  of  all  things.  We  must  live  with  the 
limitless  and  blend  all  thought  with  infinite  thought. 
When  the  senses  declare  you  cannot  do  this,  reply 
by  saying,  It  is  in  me  to  do  it ;  therefore  I  can. 

While  the  person  is  working  with  the  limitations 
of  the  present,  the  mind  should  transcend  those  lim- 
itations and  constantly  take  larger  measures  of  both 
life  and  attainment.  And  as  soon  as  this  larger 
measure  is  taken  the  larger  will  begin  to  appear  until 
even  the  person  is  called  upon  to  enter  a  larger  work 
with  increased  remuneration.  Make  yourself  worthy 
and  greater  worth  will  come  to  you.  Take  a  larger 
measure  of  your  own  capacity,  your  own  ability, 
your  own  worth.  Expect  more  of  yourself.  Have 
more  faith  in  yourself  and  that  something  that  sup- 
plies everybody  will  completely  nil  your  measure. 


120         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

It  is  the  law  that  no  matter  how  large  your  meas- 
ure will  be  it  will  be  filled.  And  your  measure  of 
things  is  as  large  as  your  conscious  realization  of 
those  things.  Therefore  to  take  a  larger  and  a 
larger  measure  of  anything  is  to  expand  conscious- 
ness beyond  the  present  understanding  of  that  par- 
ticular thing.  Therefore  all  that  we  are  conscious 
of  is  but  a  partial  expression  of  something  that  is  in 
itself  limitless  because  everything  in  existence  is 
limitless.  Therefore  by  gaining  a  larger  conscious- 
ness of  those  partial  expressions  we  will  become 
conscious  of  a  larger  expression.  And  a  larger 
expression  of  those  things  will  appear  through  us, 
which  means  that  our  own  life  has  been  enlarged 
and  enriched.  This  is  all  perfectly  simple  and 
proves  conclusively  why  the  boundless  measures 
out  to  each  individual  only  as  much  as  the  measure 
of  that  individual  can  hold. 

But  since  there  is  nothing  to  hold  consciousness 
in  bounds  except  our  own  limited  view,  and  since 
we  can  take  a  larger  view  of  anything  whenever 
we  choose,  it  is  in  our  power  to  increase  the  meas- 
ure of  anything  in  our  own  life  or  in  our  own  sphere 
of  existence.  Perpetual  increase  and  perpetual  ex- 
pansion of  consciousness  go  hand  in  hand  in  the 
life  of  man.  The  former  is  produced  by  the  latter 
and  the  latter  is  produced  by  man  himself.  We  con- 
clude, therefore,  that  anyone  can  make  his  life  as 


HOW    THE    MIND   WORKS          121 

large  as  he  wishes  it  to  be,  and  can  bring  into  his 
life  as  much  of  everything  as  he  may  desire. 

In  considering  this  great  subject  we  must  give  due 
attention  to  the  process  of  growth.  And  in  this  con- 
nection we  must  remember  that  the  desire  for 
growth  and  the  effort  to  promote  growth  must  be 
constant.  This  law,  however,  is  frequently  neg- 
lected as  it  is  the  tendency  of  nearly  every  person 
to  lean  back,  fold  arms  and  suspend  all  desire  and 
every  effort  whenever  a  victory  has  been  won,  or  an 
onward  step  taken.  But  we  can  never  afford  to  stop 
or  to  suspend  action  at  any  time  and  what  is  more 
it  is  impossible  to  suspend  action. 

We  cannot  stop  living,  therefore  we  cannot  stop 
thinking,  and  so  long  as  we  think,  some  part  of  our 
being  will  act.  And  that  part  should  act  with  some 
definite  goal  in  view.  When  you  leave  the  field  of 
action  to  rest,  so  to  speak,  you  permit  that  part  of 
your  being  that  does  act  to  act  aimlessly,  and  aim- 
less actions  always  produce  perversions,  false  states 
and  detrimental  conditions.  It  is  the  conviction  of 
every  thorough  student  of  life  that  aimless  action 
is  the  fundamental  cause  of  all  the  ills  that  appear 
in  life.  And  aimless  action  is  caused  by  the  attempt 
to  stop  all  action  when  we  try  to  rest.  However,  the 
fact  that  action  will  go  on  perpetually  in  some  part 
of  our  system  proves  that  the  individual  Ego  should 
be  constantly  at  hand  to  guide  that  action. 


122         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

The  Ego  does  not  need  any  rest,  nor  need  it  ever 
suspend  activity,  because  rest  simply  means  recuper- 
ation, and  it  is  those  organs  that  receive  and  use  up 
energy  that  require  recuperation.  The  Ego  does 
not  create  and  does  not  employ  energy,  but  simply 
governs  the  distribution  and  use  of  energy.  So  that 
the  real  you  should  always  be  active  in  some  sense, 
and  should  always  desire  the  promotion  of  growth 
as  well  as  carry  out  the  promotion  of  growth,  re- 
gardless of  how  many  special  parts  of  your  system 
have  suspended  action  for  the  time  being. 

When  we  understand  the  real  purpose  of  rest  we 
perceive  clearly  why  the  governing  conscious  Ego 
requires  no  rest  whatever,  and  also  why  it  does  re- 
quire ceaseless  conscious  action.  To  prevent  aimless 
action  the  Ego  should  guide  action  on  the  mental 
or  spiritual  plane  whenever  rest  demands  suspen- 
sion of  activitiy  on  the  physical  plane.  It  has  been 
demonstrated  conclusively  that  the  body  rests  most 
perfectly  when  some  constructive  action  takes  place 
in  mind  or  soul,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  the  first 
day  of  the  week  has  been  consecrated  to  the  spir- 
itual life.  By  giving  this  day  entirely  to  higher 
thought,  and  the  contemplation  of  the  finer  things 
of  life,  the  body  and  the  mind  will  recuperate  so  per- 
fectly that  you  can  do  more  work  and  far  better 
work  during  the  coming  week  than  ever  before ;  al- 
though not  simply  because  you  have  properly  rested 
mind  and  body,  but  also  because  you  have  through 


HOW  THE   MIND  WORKS         123 

your  higher  devotions  awakened  new  life,  more  life 
and  a  number  of  higher,  stronger  powers. 

The  principle  that  the  body  rests  most  perfectly 
when  consciousness  is  actively  at  work  on  some 
higher  plane  is  a  principle  that  should  receive  the 
most  thorough  attention,  and  every  person  should 
adopt  some  system  of  living  by  which  this  principle 
could  be  carried  out  completely  in  every  detail. 
Such  a  system  of  living  would  prolong  the  life  of  the 
body,  increase  the  power  of  the  mind  and  remark- 
ably unfold  the  soul. 

The  metaphysical  law  under  consideration  is 
based  upon  this  principle.  Therefore  to  live  ac- 
cording to  this  principle,  this  law  must  be  constantly 
employed;  that  is,  the  desire  for  growth  and  effort 
to  promote  growth  must  be  constant.  In  addition, 
the  desire  for  growth  must  be  constructive  because 
no  action  is  constructive  unless  it  is  prompted  by 
the  desire  for  growth.  And  every  effort  to  promote 
growth  must  be  constant,  because  efforts  that  do 
not  aim  at  growth  are  destructive,  while  suspended 
efforts  cause  aimless  action.  To  carry  out  this  law 
transfer  your  desire  for  growth  from  one  faculty 
to  another,  and  from  one  plane  to  another,  as  condi- 
tions may  demand,  or  as  your  work  may  require,  but 
never  suspend  that  desire. 

When  you  feel  that  a  certain  faculty,  through 
which  you  have  been  acting,  needs  recuperation 
withdraw  action  from  that  faculty  and  begin  to  act 


124         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS' 

through  another  faculty,  expressing  through  this 
other  faculty  all  the  desire  for  growth  that  you  can 
possibly  create.  Or,  when  you  feel  that  the  physical 
plane  needs  recuperation  act  upon  the  mental. 
When  both  mental  and  physical  planes  require  re- 
cuperation enter  the  spiritual  and  express  there  your 
desire  for  soul  unfoldment.  Then  whenever  you 
express  your  desire  for  growth  do  something  to  pro- 
mote that  growth — use  what  methods  you  possess 
and  gradually  you  will  evolve  better  and  more  ef- 
fective methods. 

As  you  apply  all  these  ideas,  consciousness  will 
constantly  expand,  development  will  be  constantly 
taking  place  in  some  part  of  your  being,  and  you 
will  be  improving  in  some  way  every  minute.  In 
addition,  you  will  prevent  all  aimless  action  and  all 
retarded  growth.  Every  part  of  the  system  will 
receive  proper  rest  and  recuperation  whenever  re- 
quired, and  this  will  mean  complete  emancipation 
because  all  ills  come  from  aimless  action,  retarded 
growth  and  their  consequences.  It  will  also  mean 
greater  achievements  and  higher  attainments  be- 
cause all  the  faculties  will  improve  steadily  and 
surely,  and  the  entire  system  will  be  at  its  best  under 
every  circumstance. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FINDING  MATERIAL  FOR  MIND  BUILDING. 

To  live  is  to  move  forward  but  there  can  be  no 
forward  movement  without  new  experience.  There- 
fore in  all  advancement,  in  all  progress,  in  all  attain- 
ment, in  all  achievement,  and  in  the  living  of  life 
itself  experience  is  indispensable.  Experience  being 
necessary  to  the  promotion  of  advancement  as  well 
as  to  the  increase  of  the  value  and  the  welfare  of 
life,  it  becomes  necessarily  a  permanent  and  con- 
tinuous cause  in  the  world  of  every  individual,  and 
as  like  causes  produce  like  effects,  both  in  quality 
and  in  quantity,  experience  should  be  sought  and 
selected  with  the  greatest  possible  care. 

It  is  also  highly  important  that  we  seek  an  abun- 
dance of  experience  because  so  long  as  the  cause  has 
quality  it  cannot  be  too  extensive  in  quantity.  Ex- 
perience is  the  material  from  which  character  and 
mentality  are  constructed.  Therefore  the  richer  and 
more  abundant  our  experience,  the  stronger  and 
more  perfect  will  our  character  and  mentality  be- 
come. Everything  has  its  purpose  and  the  real  pur- 
pose of  experience  is  to  awaken  new  forces,  new 
states,  new  phases  of  consciousness,  and  to  originate 
new  actions  in  the  various  parts  of  being. 

125 


126         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

To  unfold  and  bring  forth  what  is  latent  in  the 
being  of  man  is  the  principal  object  of  experience. 
And  it  is  well  to  remember  that  without  experience 
no  latent  quality  or  power  can  ever  be  aroused  and 
expressed.  The  power  of  experience  to  bring  forth 
what  is  latent  and  to  originate  the  new  gives  cause 
to  enjoyment  and  happiness,  as  well  as  progress, 
and  since  experience  is  the  only  cause  of  enjoyment, 
it  follows  that  what  the  enjoyment  is  to  be  in  the 
life  of  any  individual  will  depend  directly  upon  what 
experience  that  individual  will  select. 

The  average  mind  makes  no  effort  to  select  ex- 
perience wisely,  therefore  fails  to  promote  the  real 
purpose  of  experience;  and  failing  in  this  he  also 
fails  to  awaken  and  develop  those  things  in  himself 
that  can  produce  the  most  desirable  of  all  experi- 
ence, that  is,  the  consciousness  of  a  perpetual  in- 
crease of  all  that  has  real  worth  in  life. 

The  more  experience  the  better,  provided  it  is 
rich,  constructive  and  wholesome,  though  no  person 
should  seek  experience  for  the  mere  sake  of  passing 
through  experience.  The  belief  that  experience  it- 
self builds  life  is  not  true,  nor  is  there  any  truth  in 
the  doctrine  that  all  kinds  of  experience,  good  and 
otherwise,  are  necessary  to  the  full  development  of 
life.  It  is  only  a  certain  kind  of  experience  that  can 
add  to  the  welfare  of  life  and  promote  the  purpose 
of  life.  Therefore  to  understand  the  psychology  of 
experience  and  how  experience  is  connected  with 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS         127 

the  workings  of  mind  is  a  matter  of  exceptional  im- 
portance. 

The  daily  purpose  of  each  individual  should  be 
to  seek  the  richest  experience  possible  in  order  that 
the  best  material  possible  may  be  provided  in  the 
building  of  himself.  To  this  end  he  should  place 
himself  in  daily  contact  with  the  best  that  is  moving 
in  the  world,  and  the  more  of  this  the  better.  Such 
a  practice  will  develop  the  mind,  perfect  the  char- 
acter, refine  and  re-polish  the  personality,  and  in- 
crease perpetually  the  health  and  the  wholeness  of 
the  body.  It  will  also  tend  directly  towards  the  pro- 
motion of  a  long  and  happy  life. 

The  mind  should  be  wideawake  to  everything  in 
its  sphere  of  existence  that  can  give  expression  to 
superior  action,  and  seek  to  gain  the  richest  possible 
experience  by  coming  in  contact  with  that  action. 
To  place  one's  self  in  mental  contact  with  the  best 
that  is  in  action  in  the  world  is  to  originate  similar 
actions  within  one's  own  mentality.  These  will 
arouse  the  superior  forces  that  are  latent  in  the 
deeper  mentality  and  ere  long  a  superior  mental  life 
will  have  been  evolved. 

The  more  experience  that  the  mind  can  gain  by 
coming  in  contact  with  the  best  things  that  are  alive 
in  the  world  the  larger,  the  broader  and  the  more 
perfect  will  the  mind  become.  It  is  therefore  evi- 
dent that  the  recluse  must  necessarily  have  a  small 
mind  whether  he  lives  in  the  world  or  apart  from 


128          HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

the  world.  To  live  a  life  of  seclusion  is  to  eliminate 
experience  to  the  smallest  degree  possible  and  there- 
by cause  the  mind  to  become  so  small  that  only  a 
mere  fraction  of  its  power  and  intellect  can  be  in 
conscious  action.  In  consequence  such  a  person  can 
never  be  his  best  in  anything,  not  even  in  a  single 
isolated  talent,  nor  can  his  ideas  as  a  whole  have  any 
practical  value,  being  based  wholly  upon  one  sided 
opinions. 

In  this  connection  it  is  most  important  to  under- 
stand that  the  philosophy  of  the  hermit  is  useless  in 
practical  life.  And  the  same  is  true  of  moral  or  phys- 
ical views  as  formulated  by  those  who  live  in  seclu- 
sion. Such  ideas  may  look  well  in  theory  and  they 
may  be  accepted  by  millions  of  people,  but  nothing 
outside  of  mere  intellectual  satisfaction  will  be 
gained.  Intellectual  satisfaction,  however,  when  not 
directly  associated  with  physical,  mental  and  moral 
progress  is  detrimental;  the  reason  being  that  it 
produces  a  phase  of  mental  contentment  which  cul- 
minates in  mental  inactivity. 

The  only  intellectual  satisfaction  that  is  normal 
and  that  can  be  beneficial,  is  that  satisfaction  which 
comes  from  the  consciousness  of  continuous  ad- 
vancement. Any  other  satisfaction  means  mental 
inaction,  and  mental  inaction  leads  to  death  invaria- 
bly, not  only  in  the  intellectual  but  also  in  body, 
mind  and  character. 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          129 

Those  who  live  in  the  world  and  who  are  daily 
required  to  meet  the  problems  of  the  world  should 
seek  guidance  and  instruction  when  necessary  only 
from  those  superior  minds  that  have  had  experience 
in  the  world.  Those  who  live  apart  from  the  world 
do  not  appreciate  the  conditions  that  exist  in  the 
world.  They  have  not  been  awakened  to  the  real 
nature  of  those  conditions.  Therefore  the  solution 
that  they  may  offer  for  the  problem  which  may  arise 
from  such  conditions  can  be  of  no  practical  value. 
He  alone  really  knows  who  has  had  experience, 
though  experience  is  not  the  whole  of  knowledge. 
It  is  only  a  small  part,  but  that  part  is  indispensable. 

Minds  that  live  only  for  themselves  or  for  a 
selected  few  only,  will  also  become  narrow  in  men- 
tality and  dwrarfed  in  character.  Such  living  in- 
variably results  in  retrogression  because  too  many 
of  the  elements  of  life,  both  physical  and  metaphysi- 
cal, are  compelled  through  the  lack  of  experience  to 
remain  inactive.  The  entire  mentality  and  the  en- 
tire personality  should  be  active,  and  to  promote 
such  activity  the  entire  individual  life  should  be  en- 
tirely filled  with  rich,  wholesome  and  intellectual 
experience. 

In  brief  we  should  live  while  we  live  and  not  sim- 
ply exist.  The  lives  of  young  people  in  particular 
should  be  well  provided  with  an  abundance  of  whole- 
some amusements  and  of  every  imaginable  variety, 
though  this  practice  should  not  cease  with  the  com- 


130         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

ing  of  the  thirties.  We  should  all  enjoy  this  life 
to  the  fullest  extent  so  long  as  we  remain  in  this  life, 
though  not  simply  because  it  is  the  privilege  of  us 
all  to  enjoy  every  moment  to  the  fullest  extent,  but 
also  because  there  are  few  things  that  are  more 
conducive  to  wholesome  experience  than  that  of 
wholesome  enjoyment.  We  gradually  grow  into 
the  likeness  of  that  which  we  enjoy.  An  abundance 
of  wholesome  amusement  therefore  will  invariably 
produce  a  wholesome  nature.  And  by  enjoying  the 
greatest  possible  number  of  the  best  things  we  shall 
naturally  and  steadily  develop  the  best  that  is  latent 
within  us. 

Every  experience  that  we  pass  through  awakens 
something  within  us  that  was  not  active  before,  and 
this  something  will  in  turn  impress  upon  the  sub- 
conscious the  nature  of  the  thought  that  was  created 
during  the  experience.  In  fact  the  nature  of  the 
experience  will  determine  what  is  to  be  awakened 
in  the  conscious  mind  and  what  is  to  be  impressed 
upon  the  subconscious.  And  since  subconscious  im- 
pressions determine  the  character,  the  mentality  and 
the  personal  nature  of  man,  it  is  of  the  highest  im- 
portance that  only  such  experiences  be  selected  as 
are  rich,  constructive  and  wholesome. 

What  is  awakened  in  the  mind  of  man  is  awak- 
ened by  experience  alone.  For  this  reason  no  change 
in  the  mind  can  take  place,  unless  preceded  by  some 
experience  whether  that  experience  be  tangible  or 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          131 

imaginary.  And  what  is  awakened  in  the  mind  of 
man  determines  first  what  he  is  to  think,  and  second 
what  he  is  to  do  and  to  be.  These  facts  prove  con- 
clusively that  experience  is  the  material  from  which 
character  and  mentality  are  constructed.  And 
therefore  experience  should  receive  the  most  thor- 
ough consideration  during  every  period  of  life,  and 
especially  during  the  first  twenty-four  years  of  per- 
sonal existence. 

The  experience  that  a  person  passes  through 
during  this  early  period  will  determine  to  a  very 
great  extent  what  is  to  be  accomplished  in  later 
years ;  the  reason  being  that  the  early  tendencies  are 
the  strongest  as  a  rule,  be  they  good  or  otherwise. 
We  are  not  inferring,  however,  that  man  cannot 
change  his  nature,  his  character,  his  mentality,  his 
habits,  his  desires  or  his  tendencies  at  any  time, 
because  he  can.  But  time  and  energy  can  be  put  to 
better  use  in  later  life  than  to  that  of  overcoming 
the  results  of  mistakes  that  could  have  been  avoided 
if  the  proper  mental  tendenies  had  been  produced 
early  in  life. 

We  should  take  advantage  of  favorable  periods 
when  we  have  them,  and  we  should  create  such 
periods  when  we  do  not  have  them.  This  we  can 
do,  but  when  they  come  of  themselves,  as  they  do 
in  the  early  years  of  personal  existence,  everything 
possible  should  be  done  to  make  these  periods  be- 
come a  permanent  power  in  our  favor. 


132         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

To  permit  the  young  mind  or  any  mind  to  pass 
through  experiences  that  are  unwholesome  or  ad- 
verse is  to  cause  tendencies  to  be  produced  that  will 
work  against  him  all  his  life,  that  is,  if  those  ten- 
dencies are  not  removed  later  on,  and  they  usually 
are  not.  But  to  limit  the  supply  of  experience  at 
this  period  or  at  any  period  is  equally  detrimental. 
That  person  who  enters  the  twenties  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  an  abundance  of  rich  experience  is 
prepared  for  his  career,  and  if  he  has  a  fair  degree 
of  ability  he  will  succeed  from  the  very  beginning. 
He  is  ripe,  so  to  speak,  for  his  work.  His  mind  has 
found  normal  action  in  nearly  all  of  its  phases  and 
he  will  make  but  few  mistakes  of  any  consequence. 
It  is  totally  different,  however,  with  that  person  who 
has  entered  the  twenties  in  what  may  be  called  the 
green  state.  Even  though  his  mind  may  be  highly 
active  he  will  accomplish  but  little,  because  being  as 
yet  unconscious  of  his  real  nature,  his  real  capacity 
and  his  true  state  of  normal  action,  he  will  misdirect 
most  of  his  energies  and  they  will  be  used  up  before 
his  success  can  begin. 

The  mind  that  lacks  experience  does  not  know  its 
own  power,  its  own  possibilities,  its  own  desires  nor 
its  own  natural  sphere  of  action.  It  has  not  found 
its  bearings,  and  even  though  it  may  have  remark- 
able ability  it  will  invariably  misplace  that  ability, 
and  will  in  consequence  fail  utterly  where  lesser 
minds,  with  an  abundance  of  wholesome  experience 


HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS          133 

to  begin  with,  have  nearly  everything  their  own 
way. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  the  practice  still  prev- 
alent in  thousands  of  homes  of  compelling  young 
people  to  be  ignorant  of  what  is  going  on  in  the 
world  is  most  detrimental  to  the  future  welfare  of 
those  people.  Such  a  practice  has  caused  many  a 
young  mind  to  be  a  complete  failure  until  he  was 
thirty-five  or  more,  though  if  he  had  received  an 
abundance  of  wholesome  experience  early  in  life  he 
could  easily  have  entered  into  real  success  more  than 
ten  years  before.  An  abundance  of  rich  experience 
secured  early  in  life  will  awaken  the  best  that  is  in 
the  person.  He  will  thus  become  acquainted  with 
himself  and  will  know  what  to  do  with  himself.  He 
will  also  know  what  to  do  with  others  and  how  to 
apply  himself  in  the  outer  world. 

However,  we  must  remember  in  this  connection 
that  it  is  not  necessary  for  anyone  to  do  wrong  or  to 
mix  with  the  wrongs  of  the  world  in  order  to  gain 
experience.  The  fact  is  that  such  experience  is  not 
experience — simply  a  misuse  of  mind,  thought  and 
action.  The  proper  kind  of  experience  is  just  as 
necessary  to  the  young  mind  as  the  proper  kind  of 
education,  and  parents  should  in  no  way  eliminate 
the  opportunities  of  their  children  to  gain  experience 
of  value  and  worth.  But  they  should  not  let  their 
children  loose,  so  to  speak,  without  paying  any  at- 
tention to  the  kind  of  experience  that  children  seek 


134         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

to  enjoy.  To  pass  through  experience  that  is  neither 
rich  nor  wholesome  is  to  cause  tendencies,  desires, 
habits  and  traits  to  be  formed  that  are  adverse  to 
everything  worth  while  that  the  person  may  try  to 
do.  The  results  of  such  experience  will  have  to  be 
removed  before  real  living  and  real  achievement 
can  begin. 

All  young  minds  should  be  given  the  freedom  to 
enjoy  every  imaginable  form  of  enjoyment  that  can 
be  found,  provided  such  enjoyments  are  wholesome. 
And  here  we  should  remember  that  those  young 
people  who  stay  at  home  ignorant  of  the  world  are 
not  any  better  in  character  than  those  who  go  out 
to  enjoy  the  best  that  is  living  and  moving  in  the 
world.  And  as  to  mental  power  they  are  much 
weaker  than  those  who  have  come  in  contact  with 
the  movements  of  life  and  thought  in  all  its  phases. 
Moral  purity  does  not  come  from  keeping  the  mind 
in  a  state  of  inaction,  nor  does  goodness  come  from 
the  absence  of  desire.  The  best  way  to  make  the 
mind  pure  and  the  character  strong  is  to  give  the 
person  so  muoh  rich  and  wholesome  experience  that 
he  will  not  care  for  that  which  is  inferior  or  per- 
verted. No  normal  mind  will  care  for  the  lesser 
after  he  has  gained  possession  of  the  greater.  And 
those  minds  that  are  not  normal  do  not  need  ethics, 
they  need  a  physician. 

An  abundance  of  wholesome  and  most  interesting 
enjoyment  may  be  found  anywhere,  and  the  supply 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS         135 

will  increase  with  the  demand.  It  is  possible  for 
any  person  to  go  out  and  come  in  contact  with  the 
world  without  going  wrong,  and  the  experience  is 
invaluable,  not  only  in  a  practical  way  but  also  in 
a  way  that  touches  the  very  cause  of  everything  that 
has  worth  in  the  being  of  man.  The  more  con- 
structive experience  that  a  person  passes  through 
the  larger  will  the  mind  become  and  the  more  sub- 
stantial will  everything  become  that  is  active  in  his 
nature.  An  abundance  of  rich  experience  will  in- 
variably be  followed  by  a  larger  subconscious  life 
and  this  will  add  remarkably  to  the  power  and 
capacity  of  every  talent  and  faculty.  Such  experi- 
ence will  also  tend  to  give  every  force  in  the  system 
the  proper  direction  and  thus  prevent  the  waste  of 
energy. 

The  more  experience  we  seek  the  better,  provided 
that  experience  is  sought  for  the  purpose  of  awaken- 
ing the  larger  and  the  better  that  is  latent  within  us. 
And  since  experience  in  some  form  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  the  promotion  of  this  awakening,  the 
art  of  securing  experience  becomes  a  fine  art,  in 
fact  one  of  the  finest  and  most  important  in  the 
world. 

Every  experience  produces  a  subjective  impres- 
sion and  when  a  number  of  such  impressions  of  the 
highest  order  are  secured  there  is  not  only  a  feeling 
of  completeness  and  satisfaction  that  is  beyond 
price,  but  the  entire  individuality  gains  a  marked 


136         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

degree  of  superiority  and  worth.  An  abundance 
of  rich  experience  will  also  give  a  substantial 
foundation  to  the  mind,  a  foundation  that  no  circum- 
stance, however  trying,  will  be  able  to  disturb.  And 
so  long  as  the  foundation  of  the  mind  is  secure  the 
various  elements  and  forces  of  the  system  will  be 
able  to  perform  their  functions  well,  no  matter  what 
temporary  conditions  may  be. 

One  of  the  greatest  secrets  of  success  in  any  un- 
dertaking, or  in  any  vocation  in  life,  is  found  in 
the  possession  of  a  mental  foundation  so  strong  and 
so  substantial  that  it  is  never  disturbed  under  any 
circumstance.  And  as  the  right  kind  of  experience 
will  tend  to  build  such  a  mental  foundation,  we 
realize  the  extreme  value  of  the  subject  under  con- 
sideration. 

To  feel  that  you  have  received  your  share  of  the 
good  things  that  have  come  your  way  is  one  of  the 
rare  joys  of  life.  And  this  feeling  comes  invariably 
from  the  subjective  memory  of  rich  and  abundant 
experience.  This  feeling  produces  the  conscious- 
ness of  mental  wealth  and  without  it  life  is  not  com- 
plete ;  but  with  it  any  person  can  pass  through  phys- 
ical poverty  and  not  feel  poor  in  the  least.  While 
the  mind  that  has  had  little  or  no  experience  is 
poverty  stricken,  no  matter  how  extensive  external 
possessions  may  be.  Such  a  mind  is  practically 
empty,  it  finds  no  satisfaction  in  life  and  is  incapable 
of  turning  its  energies  into  constructive  action.  In 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          137 

brief,  it  flows  with  the  stream  and  is  almost  com- 
pletely in  the  hands  of  fate. 

Experience,  however,  in  the  true  sense  is  not 
synonymous  with  hardship.  And  to  pass  through 
trials  and  tribulations  does  not  necessarily  mean  to 
gain  experience.  Occasionally  it  does,  but  as  a  rule 
it  does  not,  and  real  experience  awakens  new  life. 
It  gives  new  points  of  view  and  enlarges  the  mental 
world.  Instead  of  crushing  individuality  as  hard- 
ships sometimes  do  it  strengthens  individuality,  and 
makes  the  man  more  powerful  both  in  mind  and 
character  than  ever  before.  , 

To  enjoy  real  experience,  therefore,  is  not  simply 
to  pass  through  certain  mental  or  physical  condi- 
tions, but  it  is  to  gain  something  of  permanent  value 
while  passing  through  those  conditions.  Experience 
of  this  kind  may  sometimes  be  gained  through  mis- 
takes ;  that  is,  when  the  mistake  causes  the  mind  to 
seek  the  other  way;  otherwise  the  mistake  does 
not  produce  experience  of  value,  and  nothing  is 
gained.  However,  it  is  not  necessary  to  make  mis- 
takes or  to  go  wrong  in  order  to  gain  valuable  ex- 
perience. Neither  is  hardship,  pain  nor  adversity 
necessary  to  growth,  progress  and  advancement. 

The  most  valuable  experience  comes,  not  through 
mistakes,  but  through  the  mind's  sympathetic  con- 
tact with  the  best  that  is  alive  in  the  world.  Such 
experiences,  however,  may  not  be  had  for  nothing. 
But  to  employ  a  small  percentage  of  one's  earnings 


138         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

in  procuring  such  experiences  is  to  make  a  most  ex- 
cellent investment.  The  bank  of  rich  and  whole- 
some experience  pays  a  very  large  interest.  It  will 
be  profitable,  therefore,  for  everybody  to  deposit  as 
much  as  can  be  spared  every  week  in  this  great 
bank.  To  keep  in  constant  touch  with  the  best  that 
is  living  and  moving  in  the  world  will  give  new 
ideas,  new  mental  life,  greater  ambition,  greater 
mental  power,  increased  ability  and  capacity,  and 
will  in  consequence  increase  the  earning  capacity  of 
the  individual.  It  will  also  increase  the  joy  of  living 
and  make  every  individual  life  more  thoroughly 
worth  while. 

The  good  things  in  the  world,  however,  should 
not  be  sought  for  mere  pastime.  They  should  in- 
variably be  sought  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  con- 
scious possession  of  the  richness  which  they  may 
contain.  This  will  increase  immeasurably  the  en- 
joyment of  the  experience,  and  will  cause  the  ex- 
perience to  add  directly  to  the  power,  the  quality, 
the  worth  and  the  value  of  life.  It  will  make  living 
more  and  more  worth  while,  and  nothing  is  worth 
more. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BUILDING  THE  SUPERIOR  MIND. 

According  to  the  conclusions  of  experimental 
psychology  the  possibilities  that  are  latent  in  the 
soul  of  man  are  both  limitless  and  numberless.  It  is 
evident  therefore  that  when  we  learn  to  draw  on 
the  abundance  of  the  great  within  we  can  readily 
build  within  ourselves  all  the  elements  of  a  superior 
mind.  In  applying  this  idea,  however,  the  first  es- 
sential is  to  recognize  the  fact  that  every  effort  to 
build  for  greater  things  must  act  directly  upon  the 
soul,  because  the  soul  is  the  only  source  of  that  which 
is  expressed  or  that  which  may  be  expressed  in  the 
human  personality. 

In  trying  to  build  the  superior  in  mind,  life  and 
character  two  methods  have  been  employed.  The 
first  has  been  based  upon  the  belief  that  man  is 
naturally  imperfect  in  every  part  of  his  being  and 
that  advancement  may  be  promoted  only  by  improv- 
ing upon  his  imperfect  qualities.  The  other  method, 
which  is  the  new  method,  is  based  upon  the  prin- 
ciple that  man  contains  within  himself  all  the  qual- 
ities of  superiority  in  a  perfect  state  and  that  ad- 
vancement is  promoted,  not  by  trying  to  improve 
upon  his  imperfections,  but  by  trying  to  bring  forth 

139 


140         HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

into  personal  expression  more  and  more  of  the  many 
perfect  qualities  that  already  exist  within  him. 

The  first  method  is  necessarily  a  failure.  And 
the  reason  why  the  race  has  improved  so  slowly  is 
because  this  method  has  been  used  almost  exclu- 
sively. A  few,  however,  have  in  all  ages,  conscious- 
ly or  unconsciously  used  the  second  method,  and  it 
is  through  the  efforts  of  these,  that  the  advancement 
that  we  have  made  has  been  brought  about.  That 
the  first  method  must  be  a  failure  is  clearly  under- 
stood when  we  realize  that  nothing  can  be  evolved 
unless  it  is  involved,  and  that  it  is  impossible  for 
man  to  bring  forth  the  more  perfect  unless  the  more 
perfect  already  exists  in  a  potential  state  within  him. 

This  principle  is  well  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
we  cannot  produce  light  by  acting  upon  darkness, 
nor  produce  perfection  by  trying  to  improve  upon 
such  things  as  do  not  have  the  possibilities  of  per- 
fection. We  cannot  develop  quality,  worth  or 
superiority  in  ourselves  unless  those  elements  which 
go  to  make  up  qualities  of  worth  and  superiority 
already  exist  within  us.  Development  means  the 
bringing  out  of  that  which  is  already  within.  But 
if  there  is  nothing  in  the  within  no  development  will 
take  place,  no  matter  how  faithfully  we  may  apply 
ourselves.  Thus  we  realize  that  before  development 
along  any  line  can  be  promoted,  we  must  recognize 
the  fact  that  we  already  possess  within  us  all  those 
elements  that  may  be  needed  for  the  promotion  of 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          141 

that  development  even  to  the  highest  possible  de- 
gree. In  other  words,  we  must  recognize  the  fact 
that  all  the  possibilities  of  perfection  already  exist 
within  us,  and  that  we  are  therefore  in  reality  per- 
fect through  and  through  as  far  as  our  real  or  in- 
terior nature  is  concerned. 

Those  who  employ  the  first  method  do  not  recog- 
nize the  greater  possibilities  within  and  therefore 
they  do  not  try  to  bring  forth  what  is  already  within 
them.  They  simply  try  to  improve  the  imperfect  in 
their  personal  nature  by  acting  upon  the  imperfect. 
But  we  cannot  fill  an  empty  space  by  simply  acting 
upon  emptiness.  We  must  bring  something  into 
that  empty  state  if  we  wish  fullness  to  take  place. 
The  imperfect  lacks  something;  that  is  the  reason 
why  it  is  imperfect.  And  that  something  must  be 
supplied  from  some  other  source  before  improve- 
ment or  change  for  the  better  can  be  brought  about. 
That  something,  however,  that  is  lacking  may 
be  found  in  the  great  within  because  the  great 
within  contains  everything  that  man  may  require 
to  produce  perfection  in  any  part  of  his  mind,  char- 
acter or  personality. 

The  possibilities  of  the  within  are  limitless  and 
numberless.  Of  this  fact  we  have  any  amount  of 
evidence.  Therefore  by  adopting  the  second  method 
for  building  the  superior  in  the  human  mind  it  is 
evident  that  any  individual  may  steadily  rise  in  the 


142         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

scale  until  he  finally  reaches  the  high  goal  of  attain- 
ment that  he  may  have  in  view. 

To  proceed,  realize  that  the  source  of  perfection 
and  the  source  of  all  the  elements  of  quality  and 
worth  exist  already  within  you.  Then  by  becoming 
more  deeply  conscious  of  these  superior  qualities 
that  you  possess  within  yourself  those  qualities  will 
be  expressed  more  and  more,  because  the  law  is,  that 
whatever  we  become  conscious  of  within  ourselves 
that  we  shall  naturally  express  through  mind  and 
personality. 

If  you  wish  to  improve  any  faculty  or  talent 
realize  that  the  interior  foundation  of  that  faculty 
is  perfect  as  well  as  limitless,  and  that  you  can  make 
that  faculty  as  remarkable  as  you  wish  by  unfolding 
the  perfection  and  the  limitless  power  that  is  back 
of,  beneath,  or  within  that  faculty.  There  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  trying  to  patch  up,  so  to  speak,  the 
imperfections  of  the  exterior  side  of  mind  or  per- 
sonality through  the  application  of  some  superficial 
or  artificial  method,  though  this  is  practically  all 
that  modern  systems  of  mind  building  have  at- 
tempted to  do. 

When  we  examine  the  results  of  those  systems 
we  realize  how  futile  such  methods  necessarily  are 
in  this  connection.  However,  when  we  proceed  to 
enlarge  the  actual  capacity  of  a  faculty  by  drawing 
upon  the  interior  and  limitless  source  of  that  faculty 
we  secure  something  with  which  to  work.  And  by 


HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS          143 

employing  a  scientific  system  of  objective  training 
in  addition  to  the  perpetual  enlargement  of  a  faculty 
from  within,  we  build  up  not  only  a  powerful  faculty, 
but  we  learn  to  apply  all  of  its  power  and  talent  in 
practical  use. 

The  same  methods  will  hold  in  the  building  of 
any  part  of  the  mind  or  the  whole  of  the  mind. 
And  it  is  such  methods  through  which  we  may 
secure  not  only  satisfactory  results  in  the  present, 
but  a  perpetual  increase  of  results  for  an  indefinite 
period.  Before  we  can  employ  these  methods,  how- 
ever, we  must  recognize  the  fact  that  the  real  man 
within  is  already  perfect  and  limitless  and  that  the 
subconscious  root  of  every  talent  or  faculty  is  also 
perfect  and  limitless. 

Therefore  our  object  must  not  be  to  perfect  our 
external  selves  by  trying  to  improve  upon  our  ex- 
ternal selves  regardless  of  what  we  may  possess 
within  us,  but  our  object  must  be  to  bring  forth  into 
expression  an  ever  increasing  abundance  of  the 
power,  the  quality  and  the  worth  that  is  already 
latent  within  us.  We  must  live,  think  and  act  with 
this  great  purpose  uppermost  in  mind  regardless  of 
circumstances.  In  fact,  everything  we  do  must  be 
done  with  the  desire  to  bring  forth  more  of  the 
wonderful  that  is  within  us.  And  it  is  in  this  way 
that  we  may  build  the  superior  mind. 

Those  who  have  gone  beneath  the  surface  of 
mere  existence  and  have  familiarized  themselves 


144         HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS 

with  real  life  know  that  the  personal  man  is  as  he 
thinks.  Therefore  to  perfect  the  personal  man 
thought  must  be  more  perfect.  But  here  we  must 
remember  that  thought  is  created  in  the  likeness  of 
our  own  conception  of  ourselves.  Therefore,  so 
long  as  we  think  that  we  are  imperfect  in  every  part 
of  body,  mind  and  soul  it  is  natural  that  our  thought 
will  be  imperfect,  and  the  personal  man  will  accord- 
ingly in  body,  mind  and  character  continue  to  be 
imperfect. 

The  law  is  that  thought  is  the  cause  of  every  state 
or  condition  that  appears  in  mind,  character  or  per- 
sonality. Thus  we  realize  that  so  long  as  we  think 
of  ourselves  as  imperfect  we  will  create  imperfect 
thoughts;  and  imperfect  thought  will  produce 
nothing  else  but  imperfect  conditions  and  states  in 
every  part  of  our  being. 

However,  when  man  discovers  that  he  himself  in 
the  real  and  in  the  soul  state  of  his  existence  is 
absolutely  perfect,  he  will  think  of  himself  as  per- 
fect, that  is,  he  will  not  consider  himself  as  an  im- 
perfect personality,  but  constantly  think  of  himself 
as  an  individuality  possessed  of  all  the  elements, 
powers  and  qualities  of  the  highest  state  of  perfec- 
tion. Accordingly  his  thought  will  be  perfect  as  far 
as  he  has  developed  this  higher  conception  of  him- 
self. And  since  the  personal  man  is  in  his  nature 
the  result  of  thought,  more  and  more  perfection  will 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          145 

accordingly  be  expressed  in  every  part  of  the  per- 
sonal man. 

As  man  grows  in  the  understanding  of  his  own 
interior  perfection  his  thought  of  himself  will  be 
higher  and  higher,  better  and  better,  more  and  more 
perfect.  His  mind,  body  and  character  will  in  con- 
sequence improve  in  proportion.  And  since  there 
is  no  limit  to  the  latent  possibilities  of  perfection 
any  individual  can  by  attaining  a  larger  and  deeper 
conscious  realization  of  the  perfect  qualities  within 
develop  himself  perpetually,  because  whatever  we 
become  conscious  of  within  ourselves  that  we  natu- 
rally express  through  the  life  of  the  personality. 

The  art  of  building  the  superior  in  the  human 
mind  as  well  as  in  personality  and  character  is 
therefore  based  upon  the  discovery  that  the  real 
interior  man  is  not  only  perfect  in  all  his  latent  ele- 
ments and  qualities,  but  is  actually  a  marvelous 
being;  in  fact  is  within  himself  limitless  in  power, 
having  superior  qualities  that  are  actually  num- 
berless. 

To  unfold  these  possibilities  snd  gradually  bring 
out  into  expression  more  and  more  of  the  marvelous 
man  within,  we  must  become  more  and  more  con- 
scious of  this  power  and  worth  and  perfection  that 
exists  within  us.  And  this  consciousness  may  be 
attained  by  thinking  constantly  with  deep  feeling 
of  this  interior  perfection ;  and  also  by  actually  liv- 


146         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

ing  for  the  one  purpose  of  unfolding  more  and  more 
of  this  interior  perfection. 

In  brief,  the  principle  is  this:  The  superior  al- 
ready exists  within  us.  When  we  become  conscious 
of  the  superior  we  will,  according  to  a  leading  meta- 
physical law,  express  the  superior;  and  what  we 
express  in  mind  or  personality  becomes  a  permanent 
part  of  the  personal  man.  Mind  building,  therefore, 
is  based  upon  the  bringing  out  of  the  greatness  that 
is  within,  and  in  learning  to  apply  in  practical  life 
that  power  which  naturally  comes  forth,  through 
mind  and  personality,  as  this  interior  greatness  is 
unfolded. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  MASTER  MIND. 

The  mind  that  masters  himself  creates  his  own 
ideas,  thoughts  and  desires  through  the  original 
use  of  his  own  imaging  faculty,  while  the  mind  that 
does  not  master  himself  forms  his  thoughts  and  de- 
sires after  the  likeness  of  impressions  received 
through  the  senses;  and  is  therefore  controlled  by 
the  conditions  from  which  those  impressions  come, 
because  as  we  think  so  we  act  and  live.  Accord- 
ingly the  master  mind  is  a  mind  that  thinks  what  he 
wants  to  think  regardless  of  what  circumstances, 
environments  or  associations  may  suggest. 

The  average  mind  desires  what  the  world  desires 
without  any  definite  thought  as  to  its  own  highest 
welfare  or  greatest  need,  the  reason  being  that  a 
strong  tendency  to  do  likewise  or  to  imitate  is  al- 
ways produced  in  the  mind  when  desires  are 
formed  in  the  likeness  of  impressions  that  are  sug- 
gested by  external  conditions.  It  is  therefore  evi- 
dent that  a  person  who  permits  himself  to  be  af- 
fected by  suggestion  will  invariably  form  artificial 
desires.  And  to  follow  such  desires  is  to  be  misled 
in  every  instance.  The  master  mind,  however,  de- 
sires only  that  which  is  conducive  to  real  life  here 

147 


148         HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

and  now  and  in  the  selection  of  those  desires  is 
never  influenced  in  the  least  by  the  desires  of  the 
world. 

The  power  of  desire  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  all 
powers  in  the  human  system.  It  is  therefore  highly 
important  that  every  desire  be  normal  and  created 
for  the  welfare  of  the  individual  himself.  But  no 
desire  is  normal  that  is  formed  through  the  direct 
influence  of  suggestions.  Such  desires  are  always 
abnormal  and  cause  the  individual  to  be  misplaced. 

This  explains  why  a  very  large  number  of  people 
are  misplaced.  They  do  not  occupy  those  places 
wherein  they  may  be  their  best  and  accomplish  the 
most.  They  are  working  at  a  disadvantage  and  are 
living  a  life  that  is  far  inferior  to  what  they  are  in- 
tended to  live,  and  because  of  abnormal  desires. 
They  have  imitated  the  desires  of  others  without 
consulting  their  own  present  need.  They  have 
formed  the  desire  to  do  what  others  are  doing,  per- 
mitting their  minds  to  be  influenced  by  suggestions 
and  impressions  from  the  world,  forgetting  what 
their  present  state  makes  them  capable  of  doing 
now.  Thus,  by  living  the  lives,  the  habits,  the  ac- 
tions and  the  desires  of  others  they  are  led  into  a 
life  not  their  own;  in  other  words,  they  are  mis- 
placed. 

The  master  mind  is  never  misplaced  because  he 
does  not  live  to  do  what  others  are  doing,  but  what 
he  himself  wants  to  do  now,  and  he  wants  to  do  only 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          149 

that  which  is  conducive  to  real  life,  a  life  worth 
while,  a  life  that  steadily  works  up  to  the  very  high- 
est goal  in  view. 

The  average  mind  requires  a  change  of  environ- 
ment before  he  can  change  his  thought.  He  has  to 
go  somewhere  or  bring  into  his  presence  something 
that  will  suggest  a  new  line  of  thinking  and  feeling. 
The  master  mind,  however,  can  change  his  thought 
whenever  he  may  so  desire.  A  change  of  scene  is 
not  necessary  because  the  master  mind  is  not  con- 
trolled by  external  conditions  or  circumstances.  A 
change  of  scene  will  not  produce  a  change  of 
thought  in  his  mind  unless  he  so  elects  for  the  mas- 
ter mind  changes  his  thoughts,  ideas,  or  desires  by 
imaging  upon  the  mind  the  exact  likeness  of  those 
new  ideas,  new  thoughts,  or  new  desires  that  have 
been  selected. 

The  secret  of  the  master  mind  is  found  wholly  in 
the  intelligent  use  of  the  imaging  faculty,  for  man 
is  as  he  thinks,  and  his  thoughts  are  patterned  after 
the  predominating  mental  images,  whether  those 
images  are  impressions  suggested  from  without  or 
impressions  formed  by  the  mind  through  original 
thinking.  When  any  individual  permits  his 
thoughts  or  desires  to  be  formed  in  the  likeness  of 
impressions  received  from  without  he  will  be  more 
or  less  controlled  by  environment.  He  will  be  large- 
ly in  the  hands  of  circumstances  and  fate,  but  when 
he  proceeds  to  transform  into  an  original  idea  every 


150         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

impression  received  from  without  and  incorporates 
that  idea  into  a  new  mental  image  he  will  use  envi- 
ronment as  a  servant,  thereby  placing  fate  in  his 
own  hands. 

Every  object  that  is  seen  will  produce  an  impres- 
sion upon  the  mind  according  to  the  degree  of  men- 
tal susceptibility.  This  impression  will  contain  the 
nature  of  the  object  of  which  it  is  a  representation. 
Thus,  the  nature  of  that  object  will  be  reproduced 
in  the  mind,  and  what  has  thus  entered  the  mind  will 
be  expressed  more  or  less  throughout  the  entire  hu- 
man system.  Therefore,  the  individual  who  is  sus- 
ceptible to  suggestions  and  external  impressions 
will  reproduce  in  his  own  mind  and  system  condi- 
tions that  are  similar  in  nature  to  almost  everything 
that  he  may  see,  hear  or  feel.  He  will,  in  conse- 
quence, be  a  reflection  of  the  world  in  which  he  lives. 
He  will  think,  speak  and  act  as  his  surroundings 
may  suggest.  He  will  flow  with  the  stream  of  his 
circumstances  and  he  will  be  more  or  less  of  an  au- 
tomaton instead  of  a  well  individualized  character. 

However,  every  person  who  permits  himself  to 
be  largely  and  continually  affected  by  suggestions 
is  more  or  less  of  an  automaton,  and  accordingly  is 
more  or  less  in  the  hands  of  fate.  So,  therefore,  in 
order  to  reverse  matters  and  place  fate  in  his  own 
hands  he  must  proceed  to  make  intelligent  use  of 
suggestions  instead  of  blindly  following  such  desires 
and  thoughts  as  his  surroundings  may  suggest. 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          151 

We  are  all  surrounded  constantly  by  suggestions 
of  every  description,  because  everything  has  the 
power  to  suggest  something  to  us,  provided  we  are 
susceptible.  But  there  is  a  vast  difference  between 
permitting  ourselves  to  be  susceptible  to  all  sorts  of 
suggestions  and  by  training  ourselves  to  use  intelli- 
gently all  those  impressions  that  suggestions  may 
convey  c  The  average  student  of  suggestion  not 
only  ignores  this  difference,  but  encourages  suscep- 
tibility to  suggestion  by  constantly  emphasizing  the 
belief  that  it  is  suggestion  that  controls  the  world. 

But  if  it  is  really  true  that  suggestion  does  control 
the  world,  we  want  to  learn  how  to  so  use  suggestion 
that  its  indiscriminate  control  of  the  human  mind 
may  decrease  steadily.  For  the  human  mind  must 
not  be  controlled  by  anything,  and  this  we  can  ac- 
complish, not  by  teaching  people  how  to  use  sug- 
gestion for  the  purpose  of  affecting  their  minds,  but 
in  using  every  impression  conveyed  by  suggestion 
in  the  reconstruction  of  our  own  minds. 

Suggestion  is  a  part  of  life  because  everything 
has  the  power  to  suggest  and  all  minds  are  open  to 
impressions.  Suggestion,  theretore,  is  a  necessary 
factor,  and  a  permanent  factor  in  our  midst.  But 
the  problem  is  to  train  ourselves  to  make  intelligent 
use  of  the  impressions  received,  instead  of  blindly 
following  the  desires  produced  by  such  impressions, 
as  the  majority  do. 


152         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

To  carry  out  this  idea  never  permit  the  objects 
discerned  by  the  senses  to  reproduce  themselves  in 
your  mind  against  your  will.  Form  your  own  ideas 
about  what  you  see,  hear  or  feel  and  try  to  make 
those  ideas  superior  to  what  was  suggested  by  the 
objects  discerned.  When  you  see  evil  do  not  form 
ideas  or  mental  impressions  that  are  similar  to  that 
evil.  And  do  not  think  of  the  evil  as  bad,  but  try  to 
understand  the  forces  that  are  back  of  all  evil,  forces 
that  are  good  in  themselves  though  misdirected  in 
their  present  state. 

By  trying  to  understand  the  nature  that  is  back 
of  evil  or  adversity  you  will  not  form  bad  ideas,  and 
therefore  will  feel  no  bad  effects  from  experiences 
that  may  seem  undesirable.  At  the  same  time  you 
will  think  your  own  thought  about  the  experience, 
thereby  developing  the  power  of  the  master  mind. 

Surround  yourself  as  far  as  possible  with  those 
things  that  suggest  the  superior,  but  do  not  permit 
such  suggestions  to  determine  your  thought  about 
the  superior.  The  superior  impressions  that  are 
suggested  by  superior  environments  should  be  used 
by  yourself  in  forming  still  more  superior  thought. 
For  if  you  wish  to  be  a  master  mind  your  thought 
must  always  be  higher  than  the  thought  your  en- 
vironment may  suggest,  no  matter  how  ideal  that 
environment  may  be. 

Every  impression  that  enters  the  mind  through 
the  senses  should  be  worked  out  and  should  be  made 


HOW   THE    MIND    WORKS          153 

to  serve  the  mind  in  its  fullest  capacity.  In  this  way 
the  original  impression  will  not  reproduce  itself  in 
the  mind,  but  will  become  instrumental  in  giving  the 
mind  a  number  of  new  and  superior  ideas.  To  work 
out  an  impression  try  to  see  through  its  own  nature ; 
that  is,  look  at  it  from  every  conceivable  point  of 
view  while  trying  to  discern  its  causes,  tendencies, 
possibilities  and  probable  effects. 

Use  your  imaging  faculty  in  determining  what 
you  want  to  think  or  do,  what  you  are  to  desire  and 
what  your  tendencies  are  to  be.  Know  what  you 
want,  then  image  those  things  upon  the  mind  at  all 
times.  This  will  develop  the  power  to  think  what 
you  want  to  think.  And  he  who  can  think  what  he 
wants  to  think  can  be  what  he  wants  to  be.  In  this 
connection  it  is  most  important  to  realize  that  the 
principal  reason  why  the  average  person  has  not 
realized  his  ideals  is  because  he  has  not  learned  to 
think  what  he  wants  to  think.  He  is  too  much  af- 
fected by  the  suggestions  that  are  all  about  him.  He 
imitates  his  environment  too  much,  following  de- 
sires and  tendencies  that  are  not  his  own,  and  there- 
fore he  is  misled  and  misplaced. 

Whenever  you  permit  yourself  to  think  what 
persons,  things,  conditions  or  circumstances  may 
suggest,  you  are  not  thinking  what  you  yourself 
want  to  think.  You  are  following  borrowed  desires 
instead  of  your  own  desire.  Therefore  you  will 
drift  into  strange  thinking,  thinking  that  is  entirely 


154         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

different  from  what  you  have  planned  and  that  ma; 
be  directly  opposed  to  your  present  purpose,  need  or 
ambition. 

To  obey  the  call  of  every  suggestion  and  permit 
your  mind  to  be  carried  away  by  this,  that  or  the 
other,  is  to  develop  the  tendency  to  drift ;  your  mind 
will  wander,  the  power  of  concentration  will  weaken 
and  you  will  become  wholly  incapable  of  really 
thinking  what  you  want  to  think.  In  fact  one  line  of 
constructive  thinking  will  have  scarcely  begun  when 
another  line  will  be  suggested,  and  you  will  leave  the 
unfinished  task  to  begin  something  else,  which  will 
in  turn  be  left  incomplete.  Nothing,  therefore,  will 
be  accomplished. 

To  become  a  master  mind  you  must  think  what 
you  want  to  think,  no  matter  what  your  surround- 
ings may  suggest.  And  you  must  continue  to  think 
what  you  want  to  think  until  each  particular  purpose 
is  carried  out  and  every  desired  idea  realized.  Make 
it  a  point  to  desire  what  you  want  to  desire  and  im- 
press that  desire  so  deeply  upon  consciousness  that  > 
it  cannot  possibly  be  disturbed  by  such  foreign  de- 
sires as  environment  may  suggest.  Then  continue 
to  express  that  desire  in  all  thought  and  action  until 
you  get  what  you  want. 

When  you  know  that  you  have  the  right  desire  do 
not  permit  anything  to  influence  your  mind  to 
change.  Take  such  influences  and  suggestions  and 
convert  them  into  the  desire  that  you  have  already 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS         155 

decided  upon,  thereby  giving  that  desire  additional 
life  and  power.  However,  you  should  never  close 
your  mind  to  impressions  from  without.  Try  to 
gain  valuable  impressions  from  every  source,  but 
do  not  follow  those  impressions.  Use  them  in  build- 
ing up  your  own  system  of  original  thought.  Then 
think  what  you  want  to  think  under  every  circum- 
stance and  so  use  every  impression  you  receive  that 
you  will  gain  still  greater  power  to  think  what  you 
want  to  think.  Thus  you  will  readily  and  surely  de- 
vdlop  the  master  mind. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  POWER  OF  MIND  OVER  BODY. 

It  is  through  the  law  of  vibration  that  the  mind 
exercises  its  power  over  the  body.  And  through 
this  law  every  action  of  the  mind  produces  a  chem- 
ical effect  in  the  body,  that  is,  an  effect  that  actually 
takes  place  in  the  substance  of  the  physical  form. 
The  process  of  this  law  is  readily  understood  when 
we  find  that  every  mental  action  is  a  vibration,  and 
passes  through  every  atom  in  the  body,  modifying 
both  the  general  conditions  and  the  chemical  condi- 
tions of  every  group  of  cells. 

A  chemical  change  in  the  body  is  produced  by  a 
change  in  the  vibrations  of  the  different  elements  of 
the  body  because  every  element  is  what  it  is  by  vir- 
tue of  the  rate  of  vibrations  of  its  atoms.  Every- 
thing in  the  universe  is  what  it  is  because  of  its  rate 
of  vibration ;  therefore,  anything  may  be  changed  in 
nature  and  quality  by  changing  the  rate  of  its  vi- 
brations. 

When  we  change  the  vibrations  of  ice  it  becomes 
water.  When  we  change  the  vibrations  of  water  it 
becomes  steam.  When  we  change  the  vibrations  of 
ordinary  earth  in  one  or  more  ways  it  becomes  green 
grass,  roses,  trees  or  waving  fields  of  grain,  de- 

156 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          157 

pending  upon  the  changes  that  are  made.  Nature 
is  constantly  changing  the  vibrations  of  her  elements 
thus  producing  all  sorts  of  forms,  colors  and  appear- 
ances. In  fact,  the  vast  panorama  of  nature,  both 
that  which  is  visible  to  the  senses  and  that  which  is 
not — all  is  produced  by  constant  changes  in  the  vi- 
brations of  the  elements  and  forces  of  nature. 

Man,  however,  is  doing  the  same  in  his  kingdom, 
that  is,  in  mind  and  personality.  We  all  are  chang- 
ing the  vibrations  of  different  parts  of  our  system 
every  second,  though  all  such  changes  are,  of  course, 
produced  within  the  bounds  of  natural  law.  We 
know  that  by  exercising  the  power  of  thought  in  any 
form  or  manner  we  can  produce  the  vibrations  both 
of  our  states  of  mind  and  our  physical  conditions. 
And  when  we  exercise  this  power  to  the  fullest  de- 
gree possible  we  can  change  the  vibrations  of  every- 
thing in  our  system  and  thus  produce  practically 
any  condition  that  may  be  desired.  This  gives  us 
a  power  that  is  extraordinary  to  say  the  least.  But 
it  is  not  a  power  that  we  have  to  secure.  We  have  it 
already  and  we  employ  it  every  minute,  because  to 
think  is  to  exercise  this  power.  This  being  true 
the  problem  is  to  use  this  power  intelligently  and 
thus  not  only  secure  desirable  results,  or  results  as 
desired,  but  also  to  secure  superior  results  to  any- 
thing we  have  secured  before. 

When  we  analyze  this  law  of  vibration  we  find 
that  every  unpleasant  condition  that  man  has  felt 


158         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

in  his  body  has  come  from  a  false  change  in  the 
vibrations  of  some  of  the  elements  in  his  body.  And 
we  also  find  that  every  agreeable  condition  has  come 
from  a  true  change  in  those  vibrations,  that  is,  a 
change  towards  the  better.  Here  we  should  remem- 
ber that  every  change  in  the  vibrations  of  the  human 
system  that  takes  us  down,  so  to  speak  into  the  lesser 
grade  is  a  false  change  and  will  produce  unnatural 
or  detrimental  effects,  while  every  change  that  is  an 
ascending  change  in  the  scale  is  beneficial. 

To  apply  this  law  intelligently  it  is  necessary  to 
know  what  chemical  changes  each  particular  mental 
action  has  the  power  to  produce,  and  also  how  we 
may  so  regulate  mental  actions  that  all  changes  in 
the  vibrations  of  our  system  may  be  changes  along 
the  line  of  the  ascending  scale.  This,  however,  leads 
us  into  a  vast  and  most  fascinating  subject;  but  on 
account  of  its  vastness  we  can  only  mention  it  here, 
which  is  all  that  is  necessary  in  this  connection,  as 
our  object  for  the  present  is  simply  to  give  the  rea- 
son why  every  mental  action  produces  a  chemical 
change  in  the  body. 

Since  every  element  in  the  body  is  what  it  is  be- 
cause it  vibrates  at  a  certain  rate ;  since  every  men- 
tal action  is  a  vibration;  since  every  vibration  that 
comes  from  an  inner  plane  can  modify  vibrations 
that  act  upon  an  outer  plane;  and  since  all  vibra- 
tions are  within  the  physical  plane  of  action,  we  un- 
derstand perfectly  why  every  mental  action  will 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          159 

tend  to  produce  a  chemical  change  in  the  body.  Al- 
though it  is  also  true  that  two  different  grades  of 
vibration  on  the  same  plane,  or  in  the  same  sphere 
of  action,  may  modify  each  other,  still  they  do  so 
only  when  the  one  is  much  stronger  than  the  other. 

All  mental  vibrations  act  more  deeply  in  chem- 
ical life  than  the  physical  vibrations;  therefore  the 
former  can  entirely  change  the  latter,  no  matter  how 
strong  the  latter  may  seem  to  be.  And  this  is  how 
the  mind  exercises  power  over  the  body.  Some 
mental  vibrations,  however,  are  almost  as  near  to 
the  surface  as  the  physical  ones  and  for  that  reason 
produce  but  slight  changes,  changes  that  are  some 
times  imperceptible.  Knowing  this  we  understand 
why  the  power  of  mind  over  body  becomes  greater 
in  proportion  to  the  depth  of  consciousness  and  feel- 
ing that  we  enter  into  during  any  process  of 
thought. 

Therefore  when  we  promote  such  changes  in  the 
body  as  we  may  desire  or  decide  upon  we  must 
cultivate  deeper  consciousness,  or  what  may  be 
called  subjective  consciousness.  This  is  extremely 
important  because  we  can  eliminate  practically  any 
physical  disease  or  undesired  physical  condition  by 
producing  the  necessary  chemical  change  in  those 
physical  elements  where  that  particular  condition 
resides  at  the  time.  This  is  how  medicine  aims  to 
cure  and  it  does  cure  whenever  it  produces  the  nec- 
essary chemical  change.  But  it  fails  so  frequently 


160         HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS 

in  this  respect  that  it  cannot  be  depended  upon  un- 
der all  circumstances. 

Mental  vibrations,  however,  when  deep  or  sub- 
jective can  in  every  case  produce  the  necessary 
chemical  change  in  the  elements  concerned.  And 
the  desired  vibrations  are  invariably  produced  by 
positive,  constructive  and  wholesome  mental  actions, 
provided  those  actions  are  deeply  felt.  Thus  we 
realize  that  the  power  of  mind  acting  through  the 
law  of  vibration  can,  by  changing  or  modifying  the 
vibrations  of  the  different  elements  in  the  body,  pro- 
duce almost  any  change  desired  in  the  physical  con- 
ditions of  the  body. 

What  we  wish  to  emphasize  in  this  connection  are 
the  facts  that  every  mental  action  is  a  vibration; 
that  it  permeates  every  atom  of  the  body;  that  it 
comes  up  from  the  deeper  chemical  life,  thereby 
working  beneath  the  elements  and  forces  of  the 
physical  body ;  and  that  according  to  a  chemical  law 
can  modify  and  change  the  vibrations  of  those  ele- 
ments and  forces  to  almost  any  extent  within  the 
sphere  of  natural  law. 

To  modify  the  vibrations  of  the  physical  elements 
is  to  produce  a  chemical  change  in  the  body.  But 
whether  this  change  will  be  desirable  or  undesirable 
depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  mental  action  that 
produces  the  change.  Therefore  by  entertaining 
and  perpetuating  only  such  mental  actions  as  tend 
to  produce  desirable  changes,  or  the  changes  we 


HOW   THE   MIND    WORKS          161 

want  in  the  body,  we  can  secure  practically  any 
physical  change  desired ;  and  we  may  thereby  exer- 
cise the  power  of  mind  over  body  to  an  extent  that 
will  have  practically  no  limitation  within  the  natural 
workings  of  the  human  domain. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  POWER  OF  MIND  OVER  DESTIN'Y. 

The  destiny  of  every  individual  is  being  created 
hourly  by  himself,  and  that  something  that  de- 
termines what  he  is  to  create  at  any  particular 
period  in  time  is  the  sum  total  of  his  ideals.  The 
future  of  the  person  is  not  preordained  by  some  ex- 
ternal power,  nor  is  fate  controlled  by  some  strange 
and  mysterious  force  that  master  minds  can  alone 
comprehend  and  apply.  It  is  our  ideals  that  control 
and  determine  our  fate.  And  we  all  have  our  ideals, 
whether  we  be  aware  of  the  fact  or  not. 

To  have  ideals  is  not  simply  to  have  dreams  or 
visions  of  that  which  lies  beyond  the  attainment 
of  the  person,  nor  is  idealism  a  system  of  ideas  that 
the  practical  mind  would  not  have  the  privilege  to 
entertain.  To  have  ideals  is  to  have  definite  ob- 
jects in  view,  be  those  objects  very  high,  very  low 
or  anywhere  between  those  extremes.  The  ideals  of 
any  mind  are  simply  the  wants,  the  desires  and  the 
aims  of  that  mind,  and  as  every  normal  mind  will 
invariably  live,  think  and  work  for  that  which  is 
wanted  by  his  present  state  of  existence,  it  is  evident 
that  every  mind  must  necessarily  follow  his  ideals 
both  consciously  and  unconsciously. 

162 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          163 

However,  when  those  ideals  are  low  or  inferior 
the  individual  will  naturally  work  for  the  ordinary 
and  the  inferior,  and  the  products  of  his  mind  will 
correspond  in  quality  to  that  for  which  he  is  work- 
ing. Thus  inferior  causes  will  spring  up  every- 
where in  his  life  and  inferior  effects  will  inevitably 
follow.  But  when  those  ideals  are  high  and  superior 
he  will  work  for  the  superior ;  he  will  develop  superi- 
ority in  himself  and  he  will  give  superiority  to  every- 
thing that  he  may  produce.  Accordingly  every  ac- 
tion that  he  originates  in  his  life  will  become  a 
superior  cause  and  will  be  followed  by  a  superior 
effect. 

The  destiny  of  every  individual  is  determined  by 
what  he  is  and  by  what  he  is  doing.  And  what  any 
individual  is  to  be  or  do  is  determined  by  what  he 
is  living  for,  thinking  for,  or  working  for,  be  those 
objects  great  or  small,  superior  or  inferior.  Man 
is  not  being  made  by  some  outside  force,  nor  is  the 
fate  of  man  the  result  of  causes  outside  of  himself. 
Man  is  making  himself  as  well  as  his  future  with 
what  he  is  working  for  and  in  all  his  efforts  he 
invariably  follows  his  ideals. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  he  who  lives,  thinks 
and  works  for  the  superior  becomes  superior  while 
he  who  works  for  less  becomes  less.  And  also  that 
any  individual  may  become  more,  achieve  more,  se- 
cure more  and  create  for  himself  a  better  future 


164          HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

and  a  greater  destiny  by  beginning  to  think,  live  and 
work  for  a  superior  group  of  ideals. 

To  have  low  ideals  is  to  give  the  creative  forces 
of  the  system  something  ordinary  to  work  for.  To 
have  high  ideals  is  to  give  those  forces  something 
extraordinary  to  work  for.  And  the  fate  of  man 
is  the  result  of  what  those  forces  are  constantly  pro- 
ducing. Every  force  in  the  human  system  is  pro- 
ducing something  and  that  something  will  become 
a  part  both  of  the  individual  and  his  external  cir- 
cumstances. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  any  individual  can 
improve  the  power,  the  quality  and  the  worth  of  his 
being  by  directing  the  forces  of  his  system  to  pro- 
duce something  that  has  quality  and  worth.  Those 
forces,  however,  are  not  directed  or  controlled  en- 
tirely by  the  will,  because  it  is  their  nature  to  pro- 
duce what  the  mind  desires,  wants  or  needs.  And 
the  desires  of  any  mind  are  determined  directly  by 
the  leading  ideals  entertained  in  that  mind. 

The  forces  of  the  system  will  begin  to  work  for 
the  superior  when  the  mind  begins  to  entertain 
superior  ideals.  And  since  it  is  the  product  of  those 
creative  forces  that  determine  both  the  nature  and 
the  destiny  of  man  it  is  evident  that  a  superior  na- 
ture and  a  greater  destiny  may  be  secured  by  any 
individual  who  will  adopt,  and  live  up  to,  the  highest 
and  the  most  perfect  system  of  idealism  that  he  can 
possibly  comprehend. 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          165 

To  entertain  superior  ideals  is  to  picture  in  the 
mind,  and  to  hold  constantly  before  the  mind,  the 
highest  conceptions  that  can  be  formed  of  every- 
thing of  which  we  may  be  conscious.  To  dwell  men- 
tally in  those  higher  conceptions  at  all  times  is  to 
cause  the  predominating  ideals  to  become  superior 
ideals.  And  it  is  the  ruling  ideals  for  which  we 
live,  think  and  work. 

When  the  ruling  ideals  of  any  mind  are  superior 
the  creative  forces  of  that  mind  will  produce  the 
superior  in  every  element,  faculty,  talent  or  power 
in  that  mind.  Thus  the  greater  will  be  developed  in 
that  mind,  and  the  great  mind  invariably  creates 
a  better  future  and  a  greater  destiny. 

To  entertain  superior  ideals  is  not  to  dream  of  the 
impossible,  but  to  enter  into  mental  contact  with 
those  greater  possibilities  that  we  are  not  able  to 
discern.  And  to  have  the  power  to  discern  an  ideal 
indicates  that  we  have  the  power  to  realize  that 
ideal.  For  the  fact  is  we  do  not  become  conscious 
of  greater  possibilities  until  we  have  developed  suf- 
ficient capacity  to  work  out  those  possibilities  into 
practical  tangible  results. 

Therefore  when  we  discern  the  greater  we  are 
ready  to  attain  and  achieve  the  greater,  but  before 
we  can  proceed  to  do  what  we  are  ready  to  do  we 
must  adopt  superior  ideals,  and  live  up  to  those 
ideals  according  to  our  full  capacity  and  power. 
When  our  ideals  are  superior  we  shall  think  con- 


166         HOW    THE    MIND   WORKS 

stantly  of  the  superior  because  as  our  ideals  are,  so 
is  our  thinking.  And  to  thing  constantly  of  the 
superior  is  to  grow  steadily  into  the  likeness  of  the 
superior.  Thus  all  the  forces  of  the  mind  will  move 
toward  the  superior.  All  things  in  the  life  of  the 
individual  will  work  together  with  greater  and 
greater  goals  in  view,  and  continuous  advancement 
on  a  larger  and  broader  scale  must  inevitably  follow. 

To  entertain  superior  ideals  is  not  simply  to  desire 
some  larger  personal  attainment,  nor  is  it  to  dwell 
mentally  in  some  belief  that  is  different  from  the 
usual  beliefs  of  the  world.  To  entertain  superior 
ideals  is  simply  to  think  the  best  thought  about 
everything  and  to  try  to  improve  upon  that  thought 
every  day.  Superior  idealism  therefore  is  not  mere 
dreaming  of  the  great  and  beautiful.  It  is  also  the 
actual  living  in  mental  harmony  with  the  very  best 
we  know  in  all  things,  in  all  persons,  in  all  circum- 
stances and  in  all  expressions  of  life.  To  live  in 
mental  harmony  with  the  best  we  can  find  anywhere 
is  to  create  the  best  in  our  own  mentalities  and  per- 
sonalities. 

And  as  we  grow  steadily  into  the  likeness  of  that 
which  we  think  of  the  most  we  will  in  this  manner 
increase  our  power,  capacity  and  worth,  and  in  con- 
sequence be  able  to  create  a  better  future  and  a  more 
worthy  destiny.  For  it  is  the  law  under  every  cir- 
cumstance that  the  man  who  becomes  much  will 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          167 

achieve  much,  and  great  attainments  are  invariably 
followed  by  a  greater  future. 

To  think  of  anything  that  is  less  than  the  best  or 
to  dwell  mentally  with  the  inferior  is  to  neutralize 
the  effect  of  those  superior  ideals  that  we  have  begun 
to  entertain.  It  is  therefore  absolutely  necessary 
to  entertain  superior  ideals  only,  and  to  cease  all 
recognition  of  inferiority  or  imperfection  if  we  want 
to  secure  the  best  results  along  these  lines. 

In  this  connection  we  find  the  reason  why  the 
majority  fail  to  secure  any  tangible  results  from 
higher  ideals,  for  the  fact  is  they  entertain  too  many 
lower  ideals  at  the  same  time.  They  may  aim  high, 
they  may  adore  the  beautiful,  they  may  desire  the 
perfect,  they  may  live  for  the  better  and  they  may 
work  for  the  greater,  but  they  do  not  think  their  best 
thoughts  about  everything;  therefore  the  house  in 
their  case  is  divided  against  itself  and  cannot  stand. 

Superior  idealism,  however,  contains  no  thought 
that  is  less  than  the  best,  and  it  entertains  no  desire 
that  has  not  greater  worth  in  view.  Such  idealism 
does  not  recognize  the  power  of  evil  in  anything  or 
in  anybody.  It  may  know  that  adverse  conditions 
do  exist,  but  it  gives  the  matter  no  conscious  thought 
whatever.  And  to  pursue  this  course  is  absolutely 
necessary  if  we  would  create  a  better  future.  For 
it  is  not  possible  to  think  the  best  thought  about 
everything  while  the  mind  gives  conscious  atten- 
tion to  adversity  and  imperfection. 


168         HOW    THE    MIND   WORKS 

The  true  idealist  therefore  gives  conscious  rec- 
ognition only  to  the  power  of  good.  And  he  lives 
in  the  conviction  that  all  things  in  his  life  are  work- 
ing together  for  good.  But  this  conviction  is  not 
mere  sentiment  with  him  because  he  knows  that  all 
things  will  work  together  for  good  when  we  recog- 
nize only  the  good,  think  only  the  good,  desire  only 
the  good,  expect  only  the  good  and  live  only  for 
the  good. 

To  apply  the  principle  of  superior  idealism  in  all 
things,  that  is,  to  live,  think  and  work  only  for  the 
highest  ideals  that  we  can  comprehend  means  ad- 
vancement in  all  things.  To  follow  the  superior 
ideal  is  to  move  towards  the  higher,  the  greater  and 
the  superior.  And  no  one  can  continue  very  long 
in  that  mode  of  living,  thinking  and  acting  without 
creating  for  himself  a  new  world,  a  better  environ- 
ment and  a  fairer  destiny. 

We  understand  therefore  that  in  order  to  create 
a  better  future  we  must  begin  now  to  select  a  better 
group  of  ideals,  for  it  is  our  ideals  that  constitute 
the  cause  of  the  future  we  expect  to  create.  And 
as  the  cause  is  so  will  also  be  the  effect. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  X-RAY  POWER  OF  THE  MIND. 

There  are  many  things  that  the  human  mind  can 
do  and  all  of  them  are  remarkable  when  viewed 
from  the  highest  pinnacle  of  consciousness ;  but  one 
of  the  greatest  and  most  wonderful  is  the  power  of 
mind  to  see  through  things ;  that  is,  to  cause  the  rays 
of  its  insight  and  discernment  to  pass  through  the 
problems  of  life  just  as  the  X-ray  passes  through 
opaque  and  tangible  substances.  This  power  is  la- 
tent in  every  mind  and  is  active  to  a  considerable  de- 
gree in  many  minds ;  and  on  account  of  the  extreme 
value  of  this  power  its  development  should  be  pro- 
moted in  every  possible  manner. 

When  this  power  is  highly  developed  practically 
all  mistakes  can  be  avoided.  The  right  thing  can  be 
done  at  the  right  time,  and  every  opportunity  can  be 
taken  advantage  of  when  the  psychological  moment 
is  at  hand;  and  in  addition  that  finer  perception  of 
life  will  be  gained  through  which  consciousness  may 
expand  into  larger  and  larger  fields  until  the  mind 
goes  beyond  all  limitations  and  lives  in  the  spirit  of 
the  universal. 

We  are  all  surrounded  by  possibilities  that  can 
never  be  measured,  possibilities  which,  if  employed 

169 


170         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

even  in  a  limited  degree,  would  make  life  many  times 
as  rich  and  beautiful  as  it  is  now.  The  average 
person,  however,  does  not  see  these  many  larger 
and  greater  ways  of  adding  to  the  value  and  worth 
of  existence.  In  other  words,  he  cannot  see  through 
the  circumstances  of  his  life  and  thus  take  possession 
of  the  more  substantial  elements  of  growth,  at- 
tainment and  realization.  Therefore  life  with  him 
continues  to  remain  a  very  ordinary  matter. 

He  may  know  that  there  are  better  things  in  store 
and  that  there  is  something  just  beyond  his  present 
conception  of  life  that  could  change  his  life  com- 
pletely if  he  could  only  lay  hold  upon  it ;  still  here  is 
where  he  fails.  He  is  in  the  dark.  He  cannot  see 
how  to  proceed  in  gaining  those  greater  and  better 
things  that  life  must  contain.  There  is  something 
in  the  way  of  his  vision,  a  cloud,  a  veil,  or  an  obstacle 
of  some  kind  that  hides  the  path  to  better  things. 
And  he  cannot  see  through  the  obstacle.  For  this 
reason  he  remains  where  he  is,  wondering  why  he 
has  not  the  power  to  reach  what  he  is  absolutely  cer- 
tain could  be  reached. 

Millions  of  minds  complain  "if  we  could  only  have 
things  cleared  up."  This  is  the  problem  everywhere. 
Therefore,  if  they  could  all  see  their  way  clear  what 
might  they  not  accomplish  both  for  themselves  and 
others.  But  as  a  rule  they  do  not  see  their  way  clear. 
Occasional  glimpses  of  light  appear  when  the  real 
path  to  all  good  things  seems  to  reveal  itself,  but  be- 


HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS         171 

fore  they  are  ready  to  take  this  path  another  cloud 
comes  in  the  way  and  they  have  no  idea  what  to  do 
next.  This  is  the  experience  of  the  average  person 
along  these  lines. 

And  there  seems  to  be  no  hope  for  the  average 
person  of  ever  passing  from  the  lesser  to  the 
greater.  The  reason  seems  to  be  that  when  every- 
thing looks  bright  and  the  way  is  clear  for  greater 
results,  desirable  changes,  more  happiness  and  a 
larger  life,  something  invariably  happens  to  con- 
fuse things  again,  and  the  way  to  pastures  green 
has  for  the  time  being  been  closed  up  once  more. 
However,  there  is  a  way  out  of  all  sorts  of  condi- 
tions and  everybody  can  find  this  way.  Though  it 
is  a  fact  well  to  remember  that  every  individual 
must  always  see  this  way  for  himself. 

To  proceed,  everybody  must  develop  the  power 
to  see  through  things.  In  fact,  see  through  all 
things,  or  in  other  words,  learn  to  use  the  X-ray  of 
what  may  be  termed  superior  degrees  of  intelli- 
gence. Every  mind  has  this  X-ray,  this  higher 
power  to  penetrate  and  see  through  the  difficult  and 
the  confused.  And  there  is  no  condition,  no  cir- 
cumstance, no  obstacle,  no  mystery  through  which 
this  ray  cannot  penetrate.  Therefore,  when  we  em- 
ploy this  X-ray  of  the  mind  we  clear  up  everything, 
we  see  exactly  where  we  are  going,  where  we  ought 
to  go  and  where  we  should  not  go.  So  that  to  live 
constantly  in  the  light  of  these  finer  grades  of  intel- 


172         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

ligence  is  to  live  in  the  cleared  up  atmosphere  per- 
petually, no  matter  where  our  sphere  of  activity 
may  be. 

That  those  minds  who  live  in  the  lower  atmos- 
phere of  thought  cannot  see  clearly  where  they  are 
going  is  quite  natural.  Because  in  the  first  place 
these  lower  atmospheres  of  life  are  usually  dense, 
being  surcharged  with  the  confused  thought  of  the 
world;  and  in  the  second  place,  those  who  live  in 
these  lower  grades  do  not  employ  the  higher  and 
finer  rays  of  mental  light. 

We  all  know  that  the  lower  vibrations  of  physical 
light  cannot  pass  through  objects  that  are  opaque. 
And  we  have  also  learned  that  the  lower  rays  of 
mental  light  cannot  pass  through  conditions  and 
circumstances  that  are  confused  with  discord  and 
materiality.  But  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  the 
higher  rays  of  physical  light  can  pass  through  al- 
most any  physical  object.  In  like  manner  the  higher 
rays  of  intelligence  or  mental  light  can  see  through 
almost  anything  in  the  mental  world.  And,  there- 
fore, the  one  who  employs  these  higher  rays  of  his 
mind  will  have  the  power  to  see  through  all  things 
in  his  life. 

However,  when  we  speak  of  higher  grades  of  in- 
telligence as  being  the  power  that  can  see  through 
things  we  must  not  infer  that  such  intelligence  is 
too  high  to  be  gained  by  the  average  individual. 
For  the  fact  is  that  we  all  have  this  higher  intelli- 


HOW    THE   MIND   WORKS          173 

gence  or  finer  rays  of  mental  light  active  within  us 
at  all  times.  The  secret  is  simply  to  learn  how  to 
apply  these  finer  rays  of  mental  light ;  thus  we  shall 
all  be  able  to  exercise  the  power  to  see  through 
things. 

The  difference  between  the  lower  and  the  higher 
rays  of  light  is  found  almost  wholly  in  the  attitude 
of  the  mind.  That  is,  it  is  materiality  on  the  one 
hand  and  spirituality  on  the  other  hand.  By  ma- 
teriality we  mean  the  attitude  of  mind  that  looks 
down ;  an  attitude  that  is  absorbed  wholly  in  things ; 
that  dwells  on  the  surface,  and  that  lives  exclusively 
for  the  body,  not  being  consciously  interested  in 
anything  but  the  body. 

By  spirituality  we  mean  that  attitude  of  the  mind 
that  gives  an  upward  look  to  every  thought,  every 
desire,  every  motive,  every  feeling  and  every  action 
of  the  entire  being  of  man.  But  this  upward  look 
is  not  an  attitude  that  looks  for  the  invisible,  nor  an 
attitude  that  dreams  of  the  glories  of  another 
sphere  of  existence.  It  is  an  attitude  that  simply 
looks  for  the  greater  possibilities  that  exist  every- 
where now,  and  for  the  beauty  and  the  truth  that 
crowns  the  whole  world. 

The  mind  that  is  material  or  that  lives  exclu- 
sively in  the  world  of  things  is  more  or  less  in  the 
clouds  of  confusion,  therefore  employs  the  lesser 
rays  of  intelligence,  those  rays  that  do  not  have  the 
power  to  see  through  things.  Such  a  mind,  there- 


174         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

fore,  can  never  be  in  a  cleared-up  mental  atmos- 
phere. At  times  those  minds  that  have  been  con- 
scious of  higher  grades  of  mentality  and  that  have 
seen  the  superiority  and  the  brilliancy  of  this  higher 
intelligence  within  them,  may  fall  down  tempora 
rily  into  materiality,  and  for  the  time  being  they 
may  lose  sight  completely  of  the  higher  conscious- 
ness of  truth  which  they  previously  gained.  Thus 
they  frequently  forget  every  principle  in  higher  ex- 
perience that  once  was  so  vivid,  and  while  in  this 
state  of  depression  they  generally  conclude  that  all 
is  sin,  sorrow  and  human  weakness  after  all;  that 
is,  it  seems  so  to  such  a  mind,  because  at  such  a  time 
it  is  only  the  discord  of  the  world  and  the  results 
of  mistakes  that  are  discerned. 

While  in  this  submerged  state  the  mind  cannot 
see  the  splendors  that  are  immediately  beyond,  and 
he  cannot  feel  the  supreme  joy  that  higher  realms 
have  in  store.  Accordingly  he  comes  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  all  is  trouble  and  pain ;  he  feels  nothing 
else,  knows  nothing  else  and  has  temporarily  for- 
gotten the  light  and  the  joy  that  he  knew  while  in 
higher  realms  of  consciousness.  The  wise  man  who 
wrote  the  proverbs  was  in  this  lower  mentality 
when  he  declared  that  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit.  And  he  spoke  the  truth  about  that  lower 
world,  that  is,  that  material  state  that  is  composed 
wholly  of  the  mistakes  of  man. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          175 

That  material  state,  however,  is  not  the  only 
world  that  there  is.  There  are  other  and  finer 
worlds  in  the  mind  of  man — worlds  where  vanity 
does  not  exist  and  where  nothing  vexes  the  spirit. 
It  is  these  higher  and  finer  worlds  of  the  mind  that 
we  must  train  ourselves  to  love,  if  we  wish  to  see 
through  things  and  thus  learn  to  understand  things 
as  they  really  are.  Then  we  shall  find  that  the 
wrong  is  insignificant  compared  with  the  immen- 
sity of  the  right  and  the  good. 

When  we  look  at  things  from  a  worldly  or  mate- 
rialistic point  of  view,  things  do  not  appear  very 
well,  nor  are  things  always  very  well  in  that 
particular  state.  They  are  frequently  wrong  and 
misdirected.  But  when  we  learn  to  see  through 
things  and  see  all  things  as  they  are  we  change 
our  minds.  Then  we  discover  other  worlds 
and  other  and  higher  stories  to  the  mansion  in 
which  we  live.  The  cellar  is  usually  dark  and  damp, 
but  how  much  better  we  find  it  further  up.  And  yet 
when  the  average  person  is  in  the  cellar  of  his  mind 
he  imagines  that  it  is  the  only  place  there  is  and  that 
there  is  neither  light,  comfort  nor  joy  in  the  world. 
But  why  should  we  ever  enter  the  cellar  of  the 
mind,  and  why  should  we  permit  a  dark  damp  cel- 
lar to  exist  in  our  minds  at  all?  There  is  no  need  of 
it  in  human  life,  for  it  is  simply  the  sum  total  of  our 
mistakes,  and  does  not  represent  the  real  mansion 
of  existence  in  any  sense  of  the  term. 


176         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

The  whole  of  the  being  of  man  should  be  il- 
lumined and  every  atom  should  be  filled  with  har- 
mony, comfort,  joy  and  life.  When  the  mind  that 
had  fallen  down  comes  up  again  it  realizes  how  ab- 
surd it  was  to  forget  all  the  truth  and  all  the  joy  of 
real  existence  simply  because  there  were  a  few 
clouds  for  a  little  time.  However,  after  a  few  such 
experiences  the  mind  learns  to  interpret  the  expe- 
rience of  the  cellar  and  does  not  consider  it  real  any 
more,  but  on  the  contrary  makes  haste  to  prevent 
that  experience  as  well  as  all  other  descending  atti- 
tudes in  the  future. 

The  mind  that  has  never  experienced  the  higher 
phases  of  consciousness  does  not  know  how  to  pro- 
ceed to  prevent  the  more  adverse  experiences  of  or- 
dinary existence,  and  therefore  will  remain  among 
the  dense  fogs  of  confusion  more  or  less  until 
taught  how  to  rise  into  the  finer  grades  of  mental 
light.  To  proceed  in  rising  above  these  undesirable 
conditions  the  first  step  to  take  is  to  make  harmony, 
happiness  and  brightness  of  spirit  the  great  objects 
in  view.  Even  when  we  simply  think  of  these  states 
we  elevate  the  mind  in  a  measure,  and  whenever  the 
mind  is  elevated  to  some  extent  we  find  that  finer 
light  comes  into  our  world  of  intelligence;  that  is, 
the  higher  rays  of  mentality  begin  to  express  them- 
selves and  many  things  begin  to  clear  up. 
,  In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  remember  that  our 
brightest  ideas  come  while  we  are  on  the  mountain 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          177 

top  of  intellectual  activity,  and  also  that  we  can  find 
the  correct  answer  to  almost  any  problem  that  may 
appear  in  personal  life  if  we  only  go  up  in  mind  as 
high  as  we  possibly  can  reach  at  the  time.  While 
the  mind  is  up  in  those  finer  grades  of  intellect  the 
most  abstract  principles  are  comprehended  with  al- 
most no  mental  effort,  and  the  path  to  greater 
things  becomes  as  clear  as  the  midday  sun. 

It  is  therefore  a  great  and  valuable  accomplish- 
ment to  be  able  to  go  up  in  the  mind  as  high  as  one 
may  wish.  For  to  bring  superior  intelligence  into 
constant  use  is  to  live  in  the  world  of  absolute  light 
itself,  the  reason  being  that  this  intelligence  actual- 
ly does  possess  X-ray  power  of  penetration  in  the 
mental  world. '  There  is  nothing  that  this  ray  can- 
not see  through,  and  there  nothing  is  hidden  that  it 
cannot  reveal  to  light. 

Again  we  must  remember,  however,  that  it  is 
not  necessary  to  attain  an  enormous  amount  of  wis- 
dom and  knowledge  in  order  to  gain  the  power  to 
see  through  things  in  this  way,  because  every  stage 
of  development  that  exists  has  the  power  to  see 
through  everything  that  may  appear  in  that 
particular  stage.  Every  individual  in  his  present 
state  has  the  power  to  see  through  everything  in 
that  state,  that  is,  a  finer  grade  of  a  mental  light 
that  belongs  to  that  particular  state  and  it  has  the 
X-ray  power  of  penetration  in  its  own  sphere.  Ac- 
cordingly he  can  learn  to  see  through  everything 


178         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

where  he  is  without  becoming  a  mental  giant,  or 
without  acquiring  wisdom  which  belongs  exclusive- 
ly to  higher  states  of  mental  attainment. 

The  idea  is  to  live  in  the  upper  story  of  your  men- 
tal world  whatever  that  world  may  be  now,  because 
by  entering  the  upper  story  of  your  mental  world 
you  enter  that  state  of  your  present  intelligence  that 
can  see  through  everything  that  pertains  to  your 
present  world.  In  order  to  enter  the  upper  story 
of  the  mind  the  whole  of  life  should  be  concentrated 
so  to  speak,  upon  the  most  superior  states  of  exist- 
ence that  we  can  conceive  of.  This  will  cause  the 
mind  to  become  ascending  in  its  attitude  and  the 
power  of  the  ascending  mind  is  immense.  Such  a 
mind  will  steadily  grow  upward  and  onward  to- 
wards higher  and  finer  grades  of  intellect,  wisdom 
and  mental  light,  and  gradually  this  power  to  see 
through  things  will  be  gained.  In  addition  every- 
thing will  be  turned  to  greater  use  and  better  use, 
and  thus  be  made  more  conducive  to  a  life  of  beau- 
ty, richness  and  joy. 

However,  when  we  proceed  to  consecrate  a  life 
to  the  superior  in  this  manner  we  do  not  leave  the 
world  of  things.  We  simply  turn  the  life  and  the 
power  of  all  things  towards  the  higher,  the  larger 
and  the  better.  We  thereby  cause  the  world  of 
things  to  move  steadily  towards  superior  states  of 
life  and  action.  As  we  enter  more  and  more  into 
this  upper  realm  of  thought,  light  and  understand- 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          179 

ing  we  should  employ  this  penetrating  power  of 
finer  intelligence  in  connection  with  every  move  we 
make.    For  it  is  the  constant  use  and  the  true  use  of 
a  power  that  develops  that  power.    Therefore,  we 
should  do  nothing  without  first  turning  on  the  X-- 
ray of  the  mind.     In  other  words,  we  should  view 
every  circumstance  from  the  standpoint  of  a  clearer 
perception  before   any   decision   is   made,  and  we 
should  seek  to  secure  the  very  highest  viewpoint 
under  every  circumstance.    This  will  not  only  give 
the  mind  a  better  understanding  of  how  to  proceed, 
but  the  faculty  of  finer  discernment  will  be  devel- 
oped constantly,  and  our  growth  in  wisdom  and  in- 
tellectual brilliancy  will  in  time  become  remarkable. 
In   this   connection   we   should   remember   that 
nearly  all  the  missteps  that  are  taken  in  the  average 
life  are  the  results  of  the  mind's  failure  to  penetrate 
the  surface  of  things  and  conditions  so  as  to  see  the 
real  nature  of  the  factors  at  work.    But  the  lower 
mental  rays,  that  is,  that  phase  of  intelligence  that 
we  use  while  in  the  lower  story  of  the  mind,  do  not 
possess  this  penetrating  power.     Therefore,  if  we 
learn  to  live,  think  and  act  correctly  under  all  sorts 
of  circumstances  we  must  learn  to  employ  the  X-ray 
of  the  mind;  that  is,  that  light  of  the  mind  that  we 
are  conscious  of  when  living  in  the  upper  story  of 
the  mind ;  and  it  is  when  we  are  in  that  light  that  we 
can  see  through  all  things. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WHEN  MIND  IS  BROAD  AND  DEEP. 

It  has  become  a  virtue  to  be  broad  minded,  but 
there  are  times  when  certain  virtues  become  so  ex- 
treme in  their  actions  that  they  cease  to  contain  any 
virtue.  In  like  manner  it  is  possible  for  the  mind 
to  become  so  broad  that  it  contains  practically  noth- 
ing of  value  being  too  superficial  in  its  effort  to 
cover  the  whole  field  to  possess  a  single  idea  of 
merit. 

To  be  progressive  in  thought  is  another  admir- 
able trait  in  the  eyes  of  the  modern  world,  but  there 
are  not  a  few  of  our  advanced  thinkers  who  advance 
so  rapidly,  according  to  their  own  conception  of 
advancement,  that  their  own  minds  are  literally  left 
behind;  that  is,  they  become  so  absorbed  in  the  act 
of  moving  forward  that  no  attention  is  given  to 
that  power  that  alone  can  produce  advancement. 
In  consequence  their  remarkable  progress  is  in  the 
imagination  only. 

Here  it  is  well  to  remember  that  all  is  not  thought 
that  comes  from  the  mind  or  that  is  produced  in  the 
mind.  For  the  mere  fact  that  we  are  thinking  does 
not  prove  that  we  are  creating  thought.  A  large 
percentage  of  the  products  of  the  average  mind  is 

180 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          181 

but  heaps  of  intellectual  debris  accumulated  in  one 
place  today  and  moved  to  another  place  in  the  mind 
tomorrow.  In  brief,  too  much  of  our  modern 
thinking  is  simply  a  moving  of  useless  mental  mate- 
rial from  one  side  of  consciousness  to  another.  How- 
ever, in  promoting  the  right  use  of  the  mind  this 
practice  is  something  that  must  be  avoided  abso- 
lutely for  the  mind  cannot  work  to  advantage  under 
such  conditions. 

Thought  that  really  is  thought  is  the  product  of 
design  and  purpose,  and  is  invariably  the  result  of 
systematic  efforts  to  work  out  principles.  Accord- 
ingly such  thought  contains  the  power  to  serve  cer- 
tain definite  objects  in  view.  We  should  therefore 
realize  that  no  product  of  the  mind  constitutes  real 
thought  unless  it  is  the  result  of  designed  thinking 
and  is  created  for  a  certain  special  purpose.  A  pile 
of  brick  is  not  a  house,  but  a  house  may  be  built 
from  those  bricks  if  they  are  arranged  according 
to  special  design  and  put  together  for  a  definite  pur- 
pose. 

The  broad  mind  should  endeavor  to  embrace 
much,  but  should  not  attempt  to  hold  more  than  can 
be  applied  practically  and  thoroughly  and  according 
to  the  purpose  which  it  is  desired  to  fulfill.  In  other 
words,  the  object  is  not  to  see  how  much  we  can 
hold  in  the  mind,  but  how  much  we  can  actually  pos- 
sess or  use;  not  how  much  ground  we  can  cover, 


182         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

but  how  much  we  can  take  care  of  in  the  best  man- 
ner, and  cultivate  scientifically. 

In  this  connection  it  is  most  important  to  under- 
stand that  the  mind  that  becomes  broad  enough  to 
accept  everything  will  also  accept  the  illusions,  the 
vagaries  and  the  foundationless  theories  that  are  so 
numerous  everywhere.  There  are  a  number  of  peo- 
ple today  who  do  this  very  thing  and  call  them- 
selves liberal,  advanced,  charitable  and  broadly  pro- 
gressive. But  the  fact  is  that  their  minds  constitute 
a  hopeless  mixture  of  truths,  half  truths  and  illu- 
sions. Accordingly  they  accomplish  very  little,  and 
what  is  more  serious  they  confuse  the  beginners  in 
genuine  advanced  thought  and  thus  tend  to  place 
the  real  truth  of  our  progressive  movements  in  a 
false  light. 

However,  there  is  a  progress  that  is  progressive, 
There  is  an  advancement  that  actually  does  advance 
and  we  have  much  of  it  today.  But  there  are  many 
movements  and  many  people  claiming  to  be  broad 
who  are  broad  only  in  the  sense  of  keeping  the  men- 
tal doors  wide  open  to  everything  that  may  desire 
to  come  in.  But  such  broad  mindedness  must  be 
avoided  at  every  turn  because  it  tends  to  make  the 
mind  shallow,  superficial  and  inefficient,  thereby 
rendering  the  mentality  incapable  of  actually  taking 
possession  of  a  single  genuine  idea  or  mental  power. 

The  mind  that  is  broad  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
term  does  not  try  to  embrace  everything,  but  tries 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          183 

to  penetrate  everything.  Its  object  is  not  to  simply 
take  in  and  hold,  but  to  enter  into  and  understand 
and  thereby  gain  real  control  and  possession  of 
facts,  talents  and  powers.  The  truth  is  that  to  be 
broad  minded  is  not  to  be  ready  to  believe  every- 
thing, but  to  be  ready  to  examine  everything,  and 
to  accept  everything  that  proves  itself  true  regard- 
less of  how  it  may  conflict  with  objects,  views  or 
opinions. 

A  broad  mind  never  takes  things  on  authority, 
but  is  eternally  in  search  of  the  one  authority — 
truth — that  is  back  of  and  within  all  things.  In 
brief,  to  be  able  to  see  the  true  side  of  every  belief, 
every  system,  every  idea  and  every  experience — 
this  is  genuine  broad  mindedness. 

In  considering  this  subject  we  must  remember 
that  what  we  accept  becomes  a  part  of  ourselves. 
Therefore  it  is  a  most  serious  mistake  to  take  into 
the  mind  everything  that  may  corne  along.  The 
fact  is  we  cannot  possibly  exercise  too  much  care  in 
selecting  our  ideas,  although  we  must  not  go  to  the 
other  extreme  and  become  so  particular  that  we 
remain  dissatisfied  with  everything.  There  is  a 
happy  medium  in  this  connection  that  everyone  can 
establish  by  training  the  mind  to  penetrate  every- 
thing for  the  purpose  of  understanding  the  prin- 
ciples that  underlie  everything. 

It  has  been  well  stated  that  we  gradually  grow 
into  the  likeness  of  that  which  we  admire  the  most 


184         HOW    THE    MIND   WORKS 

ai;d  think  of  the  most.  And  it  is  true  that  we  nearly 
always  have  special  admiration  for  that  which  we 
constantly  defend,  whether  we  have  fully  accepted 
the  same  as  true  or  not.  The  mind  that  is  willing 
to  accept  almost  anything  for  the  sake  of  being 
broad  will  also  be  ready  to  defend  almost  anything 
to  justify  that  position.  Therefore  to  defend  all 
theories  the  past  has  advanced,  is  to  reproduce  our 
minds  more  or  less  in  the  likeness  of  all  those  the- 
ories. But  since  those  theories  contradict  each 
other  at  almost  every  turn,  many  of  them  being  il- 
lusions, we  can  readily  imagine  the  result.  In  fact, 
the  mind  will,  under  such  circumstances,  be  divided 
against  itself  and  will  be  incapable  of  doing  its  work 
according  to  principle  and  law. 

A  confused  mind  is  the  greatest  obstacle  to  real 
progress  and  the  attempt  to  take  in  every  new  idea 
as  true  because  it  is  new  will  invariably  confuse  the 
mind,  and  what  is  more  such  a  practice  will  so  de- 
range judgment  that  after  a  while  the  mind  will  not 
be  able  to  discriminate  intelligently  between  the 
right  and  the  wrong  in  any  sphere  of  life. 

In  this  connection  we  must  remember  that  among 
the  new  ideas  that  are  springing  up  in  the  world  the 
larger  number  are  either  naif  truths  or  illusions. 
And  the  reason  why  so  many  of  these  ideas  are  ac- 
cepted as  true  is  because  real  broad  mindedness, 
that  is,  that  attitude  of  mind  that  does  not  embrace 
everything  but  attempts  to  penetrate  everything,  is 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          185 

an  art  yet  to  be  acquired  by  the  majority.  The  aver- 
age mind  is  ready  to  take  in  and  hold  almost  any 
belief  or  idea  if  it  happens  to  produce  an  impression 
that  is  favorable  to  his  present  condition  of  life,  but 
there  are  few  who  are  training  their  minds  to  pen- 
etrate everything  for  the  purpose  of  understanding 
everything.  For  this  reason  a  mass  of  ideas  are 
accepted  that  contain  neither  virtue,  truth  nor 
power. 

The  attitude  of  tolerance  is  closely  connected  with 
broad  mindedness  and  is  usually  considered  an  ex- 
ceptional virtue.  But  again  we  are  liable  to  be  mis- 
led because  there  are  two  kinds  of  tolerance;  the 
one  holds  a  passive  charity  for  everything  without 
trying  to  find  out  the  truth  about  anything;  while 
the  other  enters  into  friendly  relation  with  all  things 
in  order  that  the  good  and  true  that  may  exist  in 
those  things  can  be  found. 

The  attitude  of  tolerance,  however,  is  always  val- 
uable, in  so  far  as  it  eliminates  the  spirit  of  criticism, 
because  the  spirit  of  criticism  can  never  find  the 
truth.  But  the  spirit  of  friendly  research  always 
does  find  the  truth.  For  this  reason  the  penetrating 
mind  must  be  kind,  gentle  and  sympathetic.  If  it  is 
not,  the  very  elements  that  are  to  be  examined  will 
be  scattered  and  misplaced.  Besides  it  is  the  sub- 
stance of  things  that  contains  the  truth,  and  to  en- 
ter into  this  substance  the  mind  must  be  in  sympa- 


186         HOW   THE    MIND   WORKS 

thetic  touch  with  the  life  and  the  soul  of  that  which 
it  seeks  to  understand. 

That  attitude  of  tolerance  that  is  passive,  is  either 
indifferent,  or  will  soon  become  indifferent;  and 
mental  indifference  leads  to  stagnation,  which  in 
turn  makes  the  mind  so  inactive  that  it  is  completely 
controlled  by  every  condition  or  environment  with 
which  it  may  come  in  contact.  Such  a  tolerance, 
therefore,  must  be  avoided  and  avoided  absolutely. 

True  tolerance  refrains  from  criticism  at  all  times 
but  that  is  only  one  side  of  its  nature.  The  other 
side  enters  into  the  closest  mental  contact  \vith  all 
things  and  penetrates  to  the  very  depths  of  the  prin- 
ciples upon  which  these  things  are  based.  In  this 
way  the  mind  readily  discovers  those  ideas  and  be- 
liefs that  constitute  the  true  expressions  of  princi- 
ples, and  also  discovers  those  which  are  mere  per- 
versions. However,  the  tolerant  mind  does  not 
condemn  the  perversions.  It  forgets  them  entirely 
by  giving  added  life  and  attention  to  the  true  ex- 
pressions ,  and  thereby  proceeds  to  give  lull  and  pos- 
itive action  to  all  those  ideas  and  powers  of  which 
it  has  gained  possession  by  being  broad  as  well  as 
deep. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  GREATEST  MIND  OF  ALL. 

In  order  that  we  may  rise  in  the  scale  of  life  the 
mind  must  fix  attention  upon  the  ideal.  And  the 
ideal  may  be  defined  as  that  possible  something  that 
is  above  and  beyond  present  realization.  To  become 
more  and  accomplish  more  we  must  transcend  the 
lesser  and  enter  the  greater.  But  there  can  be  no 
transcending  action  unless  there  is  a  higher  goal 
toward  which  all  the  elements  within  us  are  mov- 
ing; and  there  can  be  no  higher  goal  unless  there 
is  a  clear  discernment  of  the  ideal. 

The  more  distinctly  the  mind  discerns  the  ideal, 
and  the  more  frequently  the  ideal  is  brought  directly 
before  the  actions  of  attention  the  more  will  the 
mind  think  of  the  ideal;  and  the  mind  invariably 
moves  towards  that  which  we  think  of  the  most. 
The  man  with  no  ideals  will  think  constantly  ©f  that 
which  is  beneath  the  ideal,  or  rather  that  which  is 
the  opposite  of  the  ideal ;  that  is,  he  will  think  the 
most  of  that  which  is  low,  inferior  and  unworthy. 
In  consequence  he  will  drift  more  and  more  into  the 
life  of  nothingness,  emptyness,  inferiority  and  want. 
Tie  will  steadily  go  down  into  the  lesser  until  he 

187 


188         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

wants  for  everything,  both  on  the  mental  and  phys- 
ical planes. 

The  man,  however,  who  has  high  ideals  will  think 
the  most  of  the  greater  things  in  life,  and  accord- 
ingly will  advance  perpetually  into  the  possession  of 
everything  that  has  greatness,  superiority  and  high 
worth.  The  wise  men  of  the  past  declared  that  the 
nation  with  no  visions  would  perish.  And  the  cause 
of  this  fact  is  simple.  When  we  are  not  going  up 
we  are  going  down.  To  live  is  to  be  in  action  and 
there  is  no  standstill  in  action.  To  continue  to  go 
down  is  to  finally  perish.  Therefore  to  prevent  such 
an  end  we  must  continue  to  go  up.  But  we  cannot 
continue  to  go  up  towards  the  higher  unless  we  have 
constant  visions  of  the  higher.  We  cannot  move 
mentally  or  physically  towards  that  which  we  do  not 
see.  Nor  can  we  desire  that  of  which  we  have  never 
been  conscious. 

In  like  manner  the  individual  who  has  no  ideals 
and  no  visions  of  greater  things  will  continue  to  go 
down  until  his  life  becomes  mere  emptyness.  Thus 
everything  in  his  nature  that  has  worth  will  perish, 
and  finally  he  will  have  nothing  to  live  for.  When 
he  discovers  himself  he  will  find  that  there  are  but 
two  courses  to  pursue:  To  continue  to  live  in  the 
vale  of  tears  he  has  made  for  himself ;  or  to  ascend 
towards  the  heights  of  emancipation,  those  heights 
which  can  be  reached  only  by  following  the  lofty 
vision. 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS         189 

It  is  the  visions  of  greater  things  that  arouse  the 
mind  to  greater  action.  It  is  higher  ideals  that  in- 
spire man  to  create  more  nobly  in  the  real,  and  it  is 
the  touch  of  things  sublime  that  awakens  in  human 
nature  that  beautiful  something  that  makes  life 
truly  worth  living.  Without  ideals  no  person  will 
ever  attain  greatness,  neither  will  there  be  any  im- 
provement in  the  world.  But  every  person  who 
has  ideals,  and  who  lives  to  realize  his  ideals,  will 
positively  attain  greatness,  and  will  positively  im- 
prove everything,  both  in  his  life  and  in  his  envir- 
onment. 

It  must  be  clearly  evident  to  all  minds  who  un- 
derstand the  true  functions  of  the  ideal  that  the  life 
of  man  will  be  worthless  unless  inspired  by  the  ideal, 
and  also  that  everything  that  is  worth  while  in  hu- 
man existence  comes  directly  from  man's  effort  to 
rise  towards  the  ideal.  Such  men,  therefore,  who 
are  constantly  placing  high  ideals  before  the  world 
in  a  manner  that  will  attract  the  attention  of  the 
W0rld — it  is  such  men  who  invariably  have  the 
greatest  mind  of  all. 

The  majority  have  not  the  power  to  discern  the 
ideal  clearly  without  having  their  attention  aroused 
by  the  vivid  description  of  some  lucid  mind  that  al- 
ready does  see  the  ideal.  But  when  their  attention 
is  aroused  and  the  ideal  is  made  clear  to  their  minds, 
they  will  begin  at  once  to  rise  in  the  scale.  That  in- 
dividual, therefore,  who  is  constantly  placing 


190         HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS 

ideals  before  the  minds  of  the  many  is  causing  the 
many  to  rise  towards  the  more  worthy  and  the  more 
beautiful  in  life.  In  consequence  he  is  not  only  do- 
ing great  things  himself,  but  he  is  causing  thous- 
ands of  others  to  do  great  things.  He  is  not  only 
awakening  the  superior  powers  in  his  own  nature, 
but  he  is  also  awakening  those  powers  in  the  natures 
of  vast  multitudes.  His  mind,  therefore,  is  doing 
work  that  is  great  indeed. 

However,  to  place  ideals  before  the  minds  of  oth- 
ers, it  is  not  necessary  to  make  that  particular  pur- 
pose a  profession,  nor  is  it  sufficient  to  reveal  ideal- 
ism in  the  mere  form  of  written  or  spoken  words. 
Actions  speak  louder  than  words  and  the  man  who 
does  things  exercises  a  far  greater  power  for  good 
than  the  man  who  simply  says  things.  The  ideal 
can  be  made  a  vital  and  a  ruling  element  in  every 
vocation.  And  all  men  and  women  can  reveal  the 
ideal  through  their  work  without  giving  voice  to  a 
single  word  concerning  any  particular  system  of 
idealism. 

But  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  silent  concerning 
those  sublime  visions  that  daily  appear  before  the 
mind,  although  it  is  well  to  remember  that  we  al- 
ways secure  the  best  results  when  we  do  a  great  deal 
more  than  we  say.  The  man  who  makes  his  work 
an  inspiration  to  greater  things  will  invariably  do 
greater  and  greater  work  and  he  will  also  cause 
thousands  of  others  to  do  greater  work.  He  will 


HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS          191 

make  his  own  ideals  practical  and  tangible,  and  will 
thereby  make  the  ideal  intelligible  to  the  majority. 
For  though  it  is  true  that  great  words  inspire  the 
few,  it  requires  great  deeds  to  inspire  the  many. 

The  man  who  makes  his  own  life  worth  while  will 
cause  thousands  of  others  to  make  their  lives  worth 
while.  In  consequence  the  value  and  happiness  that 
he  will  add  to  the  sum  total  of  human  existence  can- 
not possibly  be  measured.  He  is  placing  great  and 
living  ideals  before  the  world  and  must  therefore 
be  counted  among  those  who  possess  the  greatest 
mind  in  the  world. 

The  man  who  performs  a  great  work  has  achieved 
greatness,  but  his  work  is  the  work  of  one  man  only. 
That  man,  however,  who  places  high  ideals  before 
the  minds  of  the  many,  thereby  awakening  the 
greatness  that  is  latent  within  the  many,  causes  a 
greater  work  to  be  performed  by  each  one  of  the 
many;  thus  he  gives  origin  to  a  thousand  great 
deeds,  where  the  former  gives  origin  to  a  few  only. 
That  he  is  greater  in  exact  proportion  is  therefore  a 
fact  that  cannot  be  disputed.  For  this  reason  we 
must  conclude  that  the  greatest  mind  of  all  is  inva- 
riably that  mind  that  can  inspire  the  greatest  num- 
ber to  live,  think  and  work  for  the  vision. 

To  awaken  the  greatness  that  is  latent  in  man  is 
to  awaken  the  cause  of  everything  that  has  real 
worth  in  the  world.  Such  work,  therefore,  is  the 
greatest  of  all  great  work  and  it  is  a  work  that  lies 


192         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

within  the  power  of  everybody.  For  we  all  can 
awaken  the  greatness  that  is  latent  in  other  minds 
by  placing  high  ideals  before  those  minds. 

The  great  soul  lives  in  the  world  of  superior  vis- 
ions and  aims  to  make  those  visions  real  by  train- 
ing all  the  powers  of  mind  and  personality  to  move 
towards  those  visions.  And  here  it  is  highly  im- 
portant to  realize  that  when  the  powers  of  mind  and 
personality  steadily  move  towards  the  ideal  they  will 
create  the  ideal  more  and  more  in  the  present,  there- 
by making  the  ideal  real  in  the  present. 

To  live  where  there  is  neither  improvement  nor 
advancement  is  to  live  a  life  that  is  utterly  worth- 
less. But  improvement  and  advancement  are  not 
possible  without  ideals.  We  must  have  visions  of  the 
better  before  we  can  make  things  better.  And  be- 
fore we  can  make  things  better  we  must  discern  the 
greater  before  we  can  rise  out  of  the  lesser.  To  ad- 
vance is  to  move  towards  something  that  is  beyond 
the  present;  but  there  can  be  no  advancement  until 
that  something  is  discerned.  And  as  everything 
that  is  beyond  the  present  is  ideal,  the  mind  must 
necessarily  have  idealism  before  any  advancement 
can  possibly  take  place. 

Everything  that  is  added  to  the  value  of  life  has 
been  produced  because  some  one  had  ideals ;  because 
some  one  revealed  those  ideals;  and  because  some 
one  tried  to  make  those  ideals  real.  It  is  therefore 
evident  that  when  lofty  ideals  are  constantly  placed 


HOW    THE    MIND   WORKS          193 

before  the  mind  of  the  whole  world  we  may  add  im- 
measurably to  the  value  of  life,  and  in  every  manner 
conceivable. 

The  same  law  through  which  we  may  increase 
that  which  is  desired  in  life  we  may  apply  for  the 
elimination  of  that  which  is  not  desired.  And  to  re- 
move what  is  not  desired  the  secret  is  to  press  on  to- 
wards the  ideal.  The  ideal  contains  what  is  desired, 
and  to  enter  that  which  is  desired  is  to  rise  out  of 
that  which  is  not  desired.  Through  the  application 
of  this  law  we  eliminate  the  usual  method  of  resist- 
ance, which  is  highly  important,  because  when  we 
antagonize  the  wrong  or  that  which  is  not  desired 
we  give  life  to  the  wrong,  thereby  adding  to  its 
power.  For  the  fact  is  we  always  give  power  to  that 
which  we  resist  or  antagonize.  In  consequence  we 
will,  through  such  a  method,  either  perpetuate  the 
wrong  or  remove  one  wrong  by  placing  another  in 
its  stead. 

However,  no  wrong  was  ever  righted  in  the  world 
until  the  race  ignored  that  wrong  and  began  to  rise 
into  the  corresponding  right.  And  to  enter  into  this 
rising  attitude  is  to  become  an  idealist.  It  is  not  the 
iconoclast,  but  the  idealist  who  reforms  the  world. 
And  the  greatest  reformer  is  invariably  that  man 
whose  conception  of  the  ideal  is  so  clear  that  his  en- 
tire mind  is  illumined  by  a  brilliant  light  of  superior 
worlds.  His  thought,  his  life,  his  word,  his  action — 
in  brief,  everything  connected  with  his  existence, 


194         HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS 

gives  the  same  vivid  description  of  the  ideal 
made  real.  And  every  person  with  whom  he  may 
come  in  contact  will  be  inspired  to  live  on  those  same 
superior  heights  of  sublime  existence. 

When  we  try  to  force  any  ill  away  from  any  part 
of  the  system,  be  the  system  that  of  an  individual,  a 
community,  or  a  race,  we  invariably  cause  a  similar 
or  modified  ill  to  appear  in  some  other  part  of  that 
system.  For  the  fact  is  that  no  ill  can  be  eliminated 
until  it  is  replaced  by  wholeness.  And  whole- 
ness will  not  enter  the  system  until  the  system 
enters  wholeness.  We  must  enter  the  light  be- 
fore we  can  receive  or  possess  the  light.  And  to 
enter  wholeness  is  to  enter  the  ideal  and  perfect  ex- 
istence. 

To  enter  the  ideal,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  un- 
derstand the  ideal.  Every  form  of  emancipation  as 
well  as  as  every  process  of  advancement  will  de- 
pend directly  upon  the  mind's  understanding  of  the 
ideal,  and  its  aspiration  towards  the  ideal.  A  strong 
ascending  desire  to  realize  the  ideal  will  in  the  life 
of  any  individual  cause  the  entire  system  of  that  in- 
dividual to  outgrow  everything  that  is  inferior  or 
undesirable.  In  consequence  complete  emancipation 
and  greater  and  greater  attainments  must  invari- 
ably follow. 

When  we  understand  this  subject  thoroughly  we 
realize  that  if  all  the  strong  minds  in  the  world 
would  constantly  face  the  idea!,  giving  all  their 


HOW    THE   MIND    WORKS          195 

power  to  the  attainment  of  the  ideal  and  living  com- 
pletely in  the  reality  of  the  ideal,  a  live  current  per- 
meating the  whole  race  would  begin  to  move  to- 
wards the  ideal.  And  so  strong  would  this  current 
become  that  its  power  would  be  irresistible.  The 
natural  result  would  be  that  the  ideal  would  be  re- 
alized more  and  more  in  every  individual  life  of  the 
race.  This  possibility  demonstrates  the  extreme 
value  of  the  ideal  and  the  importance  of  living  abso- 
lutely for  the  ideal.  It  also  demonstrates  the  fact 
that  all  such  men  and  women  who  are  constantly 
placing  the  ideal  before  the  minds  of  the  world  pos- 
sess the  greatest  minds  in  the  world.  For  it  is  only 
such  minds  that  can  inspire  the  masses  of  minds  to 
discern  the  ideal,  to  desire  the  ideal  and  to  live  for 
the  realization  of  the  ideal. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

WHEN  MIND  IS  ON  THE  HEIGHTS. 

When  the  great  soul  transcends  the  world  of 
things  it  invariably  begins  to  dream  of  that  which  is 
greater,  finer,  more  perfect,  more  beautiful  and 
more  sublime  than  what  the  life  of  present  expe- 
rience has  been  able  to  produce.  But  those  dreams 
are  not  mere  dreams ;  they  are  actually  glimpses  of 
what  is  possible  or  what  may  be  near  at  hand ;  that 
is,  prophetic  visions  of  what  is  to  be.  The  dreams 
of  the  small  soul  are  usually  temporary  creations  of 
an  unguided  imagination.  But  the  dreams  of  the 
great  soul  are  flashes  of  light  emanating  from  the 
realms  of  supreme  light,  revealing  secrets  that  man 
shall  some  day  be  able  to  make  his  own. 

What  the  great  soul  discerns  in  his  visions  and 
dreams  is  nothing  less  than  that  greater  life  and 
those  greater  things  into  the  possession  of  which  he 
is  being  prepared  to  enter.  But  if  we  would  gain 
those  greater  things  which  are  in  store  we  must 
proceed  to  claim  our  own,  and  not  simply  continue 
to  dream.  The  prophetic  vision  of  the  great  soul 
does  not  reveal  what  will  come  to  pass  of  its  own  ac- 
cord, but  what  such  a  soul  is  now  competent  to 
bring  to  pass,  provided  he  will  use  the  powers  that 

1% 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          197 

are  in  his  possession  now.  In  brief,  a  prophetic  vi- 
sion does  not  reveal  something  that  is  coming  to 
you,  but  reveals  something  that  you  now  have  the 
power  to  bring  to  yourself  if  you  will. 

The  soul  that  can  transcend  the  world  of  passing 
things  and  dream  of  the  world  of  better  things  is 
now  in  possession  of  the  necessary  power  to  make 
his  dreams  come  true.  For  the  fact  is,  we  cannot 
discern  the  ideal  until  we  have  the  power  to  make  it 
real,  nor  can  the  mind  arise  into  worlds  sublime  un- 
til it  has  gained  the  power  to  make  its  own  life  sub- 
lime. Therefore  the  soul  that  can  look  into  the  mys- 
tic future  and  discern  a  more  beautiful  life  is  pre- 
pared for  such  a  life,  has  found  the  secret  path  to 
such  a  life,  has  the  power  to  create  such  a  life, 
though  not  merely  in  ages  to  come,  but  now.  For 
what  we  see  in  our  visions  today  we  have  the  power 
to  bring  to  pass  in  the  present.  This  is  indeed  a 
great  truth,  and  than  this,  nothing  could  possibly 
bring  greater  joy  to  the  soul  of  man. 

If  we  can  see  better  days  while  our  minds  are  on 
the  heights  we  can  rest  assured  that  we  have  the 
power  to  create  better  days.  But  we  must  proceed 
to  use  that  power  if  we  would  enter  into  the  pastures 
green  that  are  before  us.  The  law  is  that  what  we 
see  in  the  ideal  we  must  work  for  in  the  actual,  for 
it  is  in  this  way  alone  that  our  dreams  can  come  true 
without  fail. 


198         HOW    THE    MIND    WORKS 

The  dreams  of  the  great  soul  always  appear  when 
the  mind  is  on  the  heights.  And  it  is  such  dreams 
alone  that  can  contain  the  prophetic  vision.  What 
we  dream  of  while  on  the  low  lands  of  life  has  no 
value.  The  fact  is  that  if  we  would  know  the  next 
step ;  if  we  would  know  what  today  can  bring  forth ; 
if  we  would  know  what  is  best  now;  if  we  would 
know  what  we  are  able  to  attain  and  achieve  now ; 
if  we  would  know  those  greater  things  that  are  now 
in  store  for  us,  we  must  rise  to  the  mountain  top  of 
the  soul's  transcendent  existence.  It  is  there,  and 
there  alone,  that  these  things  are  made  known.  And 
every  mind  can  at  times  ascend  to  those  sublime 
heights.  The  great  soul  can  readily  rise  to  these 
mountain  tops ;  in  brief,  such  a  soul  has  no  other  vi- 
sions than  those  that  appear  on  the  mountain  tops. 
Therefore  the  dreams  of  the  great  soul  are  not  mere 
dreams ;  they  are  positive  indications  of  what  can  be 
done,  of  what  will  be  done ;  they  are  glimpses  of  the 
splendors  of  a  greater  day. 

The  soul  that  can  rise  to  the  mountain  tops  and 
see  the  splendor  of  greater  things  can  indeed  rejoice 
with  great  joy  for  such  a  soul  is  not  destined  for  an 
ordinary  life.  Greater  things  are  at  hand  and  a 
wonderful  future  will  positively  be  realized.  But 
such  a  future,  with  its  richer  possibilities  and  its 
more  worthy  attainments,  will  not  come  back  to  us 
where  we  now  stand.  We  must  move  forward  and 
work  for  what  we  have  seen  in  the  vision.  That 


HOW   THE   MIND   WORKS          199 

which  is  greater  does  not  come  back  to  that  which  is 
lesser.  We  must  press  on  into  the  life  of  the  greater 
if  we  would  realize  such  a  life.  And  if  we  dreamed 
the  dreams  of  the  great  soul  those  dreams  will  in- 
dicate that  we  can.  What  we  have  seen  on  the 
heights  reveals  what  we  can  do  if  we  will.  We  have 
gained  the  power;  the  gates  are  ajar,  and  in  the 
beautiful  somewhere  our  own  is  waiting. 


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